Inklings Island
by Gleeful Scribblings
Summary: The Glee Club go out on a camp together. Alone on an island with the Glee family is, despite the complaints for some members, is excepted to be a fun trip. But when they arrive on Inklings Island, the killings start, and the holiday is not what they expected at all. M for Death
1. Arrival

I don't own anything, Glee belongs to Fox.

First chapter is a little boring but should get exciting in the next chapter. Would love some reviews! Thanks!

* * *

Mr Schue grinned happily as they approached the campground. He'd been planning this special Glee camp for a long time and it was awesome to finally see his plan unfolding. Smiling at Emma, he reached out across the bus seat they shared (covered in a picnic blanket to keep the germs away), and nudged her, pointing towards the back. A matching smile spread over Emma's face at the sight of the Glee kids in the back of the bus.

Most of them were asleep. The i-pod between Kurt and Blaine still sat on the seat between them, the earplug hooking them together. Kurt was fast asleep, but as he slept he was mouthing the lyrics to the song. Blaine was one of the few still awake. But he was gazing at Kurt, lost completely in watching him.

In the seat across the aisle, Rachel and Finn were both asleep. She was practically lying on his lap. Fin head rested on the headrest, the tiniest snores emitting from his gaping mouth. Behind him, Puck and Sam were laughing as they put the cap back on the pen they'd just used to draw a moustache above said mouth.

Mike and Tina had their hands laced together and their heads leaning on each other.

Brittany was actually lying on Santana's lap, her legs spread across the aisle and onto Quinn's knees. Santana's hands had combed through her slumbering girlfriend's hair until she, too had fallen asleep. Quinn was too busy reading to mind the occasional jerks of Brittany's feet in her peaceful dreams. Sugar has been flicking through a stack of magazines beside her, but she had succumbed to sleep in the heat of the bus as well.

In front of their seats were a set that faced the back of the bus, where Mercedes was sitting. And between them was Artie's wheelchair. They couldn't see Mercedes, but her snores rose to join Artie's in the otherwise fairly quiet bus.

"They look so happy, Will. This was a great idea." Emma said encouragingly. Will smiled back. She was right. Though the Glee kids had seemed a little reluctant at first (mainly Kurt with his "Are you _kidding _Mr Schue. Do you _know_ how many suitcases I'll have to pack for 10 days away?"), they had certainly warmed to the idea.

"This the one?" The driver asked, and Will turned to glace up at the small, unassuming sign that marked the turn-off ahead.

"That's it." Will answered, squeezing Emma's hand in excitement. As they bumped down the last gravel road, tree branches scraped the sides of the truck and Puck let out a low whistle from the back.

"This place is practically hidden from the road!" He said in wonder, peering out the back window where the trees hid almost all trace of their journey.

"This isn't the end of the trail, Noah." Emma said, as the bus pulled in to a small gravel carpark outside a wooden boathouse on the shores of a choppy lake. "We're taking the boat out to the island."

As the bus jerked to a stop some students pulled open their sleepy eyes and peered around. They seemed disorientated. Quinn shut her book with a sigh and shoved it in her bag while the sleeping couples woke and began to turn their attention to Mr Schue. Mercedes and Brittany seemed ready to go back to sleep so Will quickly clapped his hand to get their attention.

"Okay guys, we're here. I'd appreciate if you could get out and help our driver with your luggage and gather the bags by the boathouse. I'm going to the find people who're in charge of the island. I want you all ready when I get back."

…

When Will returned with the owners, the kids were standing around a pile of their bags and talking. The driver stood with his hat in his hands, talking to Emma. She thanked him and he got back into the bus, nodding and waving as he drove off down the road.

"Guys this in Tom and his wife, Joan." Will called after the bus was gone from sight. The old couple smiled and waved from behind him. "They say the island's all ready for guests and I have the key, so Tom will take us out on the boat and come to check on us in a week. Before we get there I want everyone to work out who they're rooming with. Two per room, though a couple rooms can sleep three people if we don't have enough. And I want boys with boys and girls with girls. No funny stuff, okay?"

As soon as he said it he realised his mistake, for Blaine stepped to Kurt's side in a heartbeat, his hand moving behind him doing something that made Kurt jump and blushed. "_Blaine!" _his quiet, indignant whisper reached Will's ears, yet still Kurt leaned closer to Blaine. Brittany was still looking very sleepy; and still draped over Santana. As Will watched, Santana kissed her.

"Umm... okay. But Blaine and Kurt, you will _not _be together. And Brittany and Santana- nuh uh. Um, let me see. I want you to…" Will looked dumfounded.

"I'll share with Kurt, Mr Schue." Santana offered, surprisingly. "Britt and Blaine won't mind sharing.

"Oh- Okay. Thank you, Santana. That's a good idea." Will said.

The other kids split off into pairs as well. Rachel had looked a little disappointed that Kurt was taken, but Quinn smiled at her and beckoned her over, and she seemed appeased. Finn and Puck had made a team, and Sam and Mike stood together. Joe grinned good-naturedly and took up a spot by Artie's wheelchair. Sugar, Mercedes and Tina all stood together as well.

"There's not enough for everyone to make pairs this way." Mercedes told Will "Is it okay if we just make a three?"

"Of course, Mercedes." Will said. "So are we all ready then?"

There was a unanimous agreement and Will turned to Tom. "Okay Tom, take us over!"


	2. Death

Chapter 2 and our first murder...

* * *

Everyone had dumped their things in their rooms down the girls and boy corridors off the main room. Emma had a room at the mouth of the girl's corridor, and Will at the start of the boys. They met outside the cabin to wave goodbye to Tom as he took the boat back to the other side of the lake.

"This," Said Rachel happily "Is going to be amazing!"

Will beamed enthusiastically at her, sharing the enthusiasm. He loved the spark Rachel always had when it came to Glee Club. She always wanted to be supportive and show herself as a leader, hoping the Glee kids would follow along behind her.

"Well kids I hope you all unpacked and you're ready to begin everything tomorrow. It's a little late today, but in the morning we're going to climb the hill and see the whole island, and the lake beyond. It's a beautiful spot. You'll love it. Stuff all ready?" He gave them a thumbs up, a questioning eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Was the reply.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, with half of Kurt's stuff all over my bed. The amount of clothes he brought…"

"A tree outside our window looks like Lord Tubbington," Brittany contributed.

"Finn!" Rachel suddenly squealed "Who drew that on your face?"

"What?" Finn looked confused and raised his hand. Puck, Sam and Mike began to laugh and a furious Rachel turned on them. And everyone took it as their cue to start talking. Artie was saying something to Blaine and Tina and Mercedes had started an argument over which bed they wanted. They apparently hadn't decided yet.

"Guys!" Will said. No one listened. "Guys please!"

Slowly they fell silent, though Finn was still scrubbing at his upper lip to rid himself of the moustache.

"You have ten minutes before tea. Go and unpack! Emma's getting tea ready now. It's just sandwiches today I'm afraid. But tomorrow you'll be on a cooking duty in groups, and we can have proper meals-"

"Are you kidding, Mr Schue? I don't cook!" Puck yelled.

"Well, you seemed fine when you made those cupcakes for our bake sale years ago, I'm sure you can handle a simple meal."

Puck fell silent, but he didn't look happy. Will waved his hands "Off you go then!"

…

The Glee kids were all milling around, some were unpacking their things into the wardrobes, others went to check out the bathrooms, girls and boy separate, and some went outside to see what the surrounding area was like.

But before the ten minutes were up, a sound echoed around the building. One that would haunt them all forever.

…

The screams belonged to Quinn Fabray. That was obvious immediately. It took all of ten seconds for the entire glee club to have gathered in the main hall. All of the glee cub, that is, except for Quinn and Joe.

"What's happening?" Rachel yelled over the murmurs, and everyone fell silent.

"Where's Quinn?" Puck asked. No answer came forth, and many people were glancing worriedly. Mr Schue opened his mouth to speak, but Puck and several others had already made a dash for the door.

"Guy hold on!" He called. The door swung open and they were gone. Mr Schue and the rest of the glee club ran right out after them.

Right away they began to race through the forest to the shore of the lake. The closer they got the lake's edge the louder Quinn's hysterical sobs became.

But instead of running right to Quinn's side, the second they reached the clearing the stopped short, one by one, and stared. Quinn crouched, screaming and crying at the same time, her head hanging over the body in front of her. The dirt around them was drenched with blood that seemed to primarily come from the hands and feet of the prone body below her. A closer look showed that it was Joe. His dreds were matted with blood and there was something in his hair.

Shock had them all frozen, unable to take a step closer.

"Quinn," Shockingly, it was Emma that spoke first. She stepped towards the girl but didn't seem able to get too close to the blood. Reaching forward she laid a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Honey, please stand up."

Quinn shuddered at her touch and then tore her gaze away from Joe's body. "M-Ms Pillsbury?" Quinn asked, looking disorientated. There was desperation in her eyes and she pointed to Joe.

"Look," As she said it she broke down again, fresh tears pouring forth as she gestured at Joe's body. She let Emma guide her to her feet and flinched at the collective gasp of the glee club when Joe's body came into view. Quickly Emma lost all resolve and pulled Quinn backwards, eyes squeezed shut. The strength she had forced to the surface for her kids was gone at the sight of Joe's body.

His hands and feet were bleeding because they had been nailed into the ground. He was stretched out as if he'd been crucified. And to add even more cruel irony, someone had jammed a crown of thorns onto the top of his head. The blood from the wounds in his head covered his face and pooled on the ground.

"Oh god," Mercedes choked loudly, sinking to her feet. Many others collapsed as well, and Brittany wrenched away from the group to vomit in the bushes nearby. Finally, Mr Schue seemed to come to his senses. With tears pouring down his face he turned to the group and began to give orders.

"Kids, start heading straight back to the cabin. No one is to wander off, so I want you to make sure everyone is sticking in a group. Emma can take Quinn, if you think you can, Emma?" Ms Pillsbury nodded, completely pale and sickly. Will continued, "I'll follow behind. I just want to..."

He trailed off as the kids turned away from him and began to head back. Gently Mr Schue removed his coat and leant down beside Joe. He laid in over the boy, covering as much blood as he could, and nearly retching as he saw the mutilated state of his forehead. He then noticed that a piece of paper sat, folded, on Joe's chest. Will picked it up and tucked it in his pocket.

As soon as he was finished he broke into a run and caught up with the students as they reached the Cabin. He filed into the Hall after them and shut the door with a loud thump. Almost all of them were crying, many hugging each other as if they would never let go. Mercedes, Santana and Brittany sat with Quinn. She was rocking herself back and forth as they stroked her hair.

"Mr Schue!" Finn stood "What's happening?"

Will looked at Emma for courage before answering "I really don't know Finn. I'm so sorry. But I promise you we're going to fix all this."

Santana scoffed loudly, leaping to her feet with her hands on her hips. Her tough attitude had been slapped on in what seemed to be an attempt to mask the pain in her eyes. "Oh really? And how can you fix this? Joe's dead. He died. We can't fix that."

Will put up a hand in defence and quickly said "I know. I will never be able to fix that. And I don't know how it happened, but I will contact people and make sure this doesn't happen again. I'll get the police over here as quickly as possible."

He looked round at everyone, and saw that most of them, at least, seemed a little encouraged by his speech. They still believed that, as a grown-up, he could fix everything. Will wasn't so sure. He had never seen anything as horrifying as this. He barely wanted to contemplate the possibilities of _how _this had happened.

So Will walked straight to the corner of the room to the box titled "_Emergency Phone_" and pulled it open. A small sign read "T_he Inklings Island Emergency Phone: please use to contact Tom only. The owners will help you to contact others from there. The number to dial is 1234. Thank you_."

Quickly he typed in the number, embarrassed as his fingers fumbled. He needed to stay strong for the kids. He couldn't show his weakness. He got the number right and waited a few seconds. Nothing happened. The phone didn't seem to be connected to the network at all.

Startled, Will set down the phone. He turned to face the room of waiting and expectant people. "Emma, please come outside and check the electricity box with me."

Emma stood and followed him without question, her eyes wider than usual. Will shut the door behind them and quickly explained that he thought the phone lines had been cut. They reached the control box and Will flung it open. His suspicions were confirmed at the sight of the frayed ends of several wires. It appeared that whoever had killed Joe- and yes, he had been _killed, _Will forced himself to admit- had been thorough in their job.

"Oh no. Oh Will. What are we going to do?" Emma asked, her head shaking back and forth in disbelief as she stared at the ruined wires that had been their last hope of rescue.

"We have to go back and explain to the kids. Somehow, we'll fine help." Will insisted. "I know it."

But there was no denying the desperate situation they were in. If the murder was planning to kill again, they were stuck.

...

As soon as the door shut behind Mr Schue, Puck stood, shaking his head. "So I reckon the phone's down then."

No one responded, they just turned their pained eyes on him. Even the tough Noah Puckerman had tear stains on his cheeks. Only Tina's sobs could be heard as everyone watched Puck to see what he had to say.

"And we _know _we're the only ones on this island. The owners told Mr Schue no one had rented out this Cabin for _six years_."

"What's you point Puck." Finn interjected, angrily. As if he knew exactly where Puck was going and didn't like it one bit.

"What I'm _saying,_" Puck wasn't intimidated "Is that we're the only ones on this island. It's pretty small, and in a pretty big lake, so anyone approaching would have been seen by Tom and his wife. And they're back home, tucked up in bed. So we're all. alone. on. this. island. That means..."

He paused with what might have been dramatic effect, if the next words hadn't looked so hard for him to say. "I must have been one of us. One of us... Is the killer."


	3. A Note

Chapter three has been done quite quickly :) So here you go!

* * *

"Okay guys. Bad news, I'm afraid." Mr Schue said as he swung open the door. For some reason everyone was glaring at Puck. He could hear what seemed to be the beginning of an argument as he approached. But when he entered they fell silent and looked to him, hope in their eyes until he spoke.

"The phone lines are down so we have to um..." He looked helplessly at Emma. It felt so wrong to be useless.

"We have to wait for the boat to come. It'll only be a week. One week. We can manage that." Emma said, trying to pull a cheerful smile onto her face, and only succeeding in looking more startled.

"In one week, the killer could have gotten any one of us!" Puck suddenly exploded. There was a tense panic in the air as the students regarded each other.

"What are you talking about, Puck? I doubt..." But again Will wouldn't finish his sentence. He realised that he didn't doubt what Puck was trying to say. There was a killer somewhere on this island. And there was no telling where.

"Puck's right," Finn said, staring at the floor in front of him. His voice was quiet, but everyone was listening. "The killer is with us right now, and they could be planning the next murder."

"What makes you think the killer's here?" Will asked, stunned. He hadn't really thought about the fact that _one of his students_ might be capable of killing. He'd never begun to imagine it. And now the idea had been presented to him, he didn't want to think about it.

"Puck is right." Santana sounded surprised that she'd ever admit Puck was right. "One of us _has_ to be the killer. Because Tom was just telling you on the boat ride over. We're the first visitors in years. No one else has approached this island."

"That doesn't mean..."

"No one could have survived out here. Be reasonable Mr Schue." This time it was Quinn. Her voice was faint, but fierce.

Will looked at a loss for words. Despite everything he wanted to believe, he knew his students were right. It had to have been one of them. And looking at each stunned and innocent face, he realised he could never accuse any of them. He had no idea how to protect them from themselves.

Emma stepped forward "Well kids, we should b- be optimistic." She sounded totally unsure of herself and her voice wavered. "We shouldn't assume the killer plans to continue. It could have been a one-off."

She looked around at the expressions varying from shock to disbelief. She had to encourage them; make them feel better.

"Perhaps the killer had a grudge against Joe. And now everything is over…" Looking at them, her voice became desperate. "Whichever one of you it is; I beg you to stop. Think about this club. We're friends here. We love each other. This Glee club has been there for every one of you through some of the worst moments of your lives. I _know_ you all have compassion. Let it stop here. We can't save Joe… but maybe he was the last one. Let him be the last and _only_ one to die."

"No one had a grudge against Joe though." Mercedes said. "He never hurt anyone. He was just... Joe. No one hated him."

"Noah might have." Rachel sounded like the words shocked her coming out of her own mouth.

Puck was on his feet, hands clenched into fists "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on Puckerman." Rachel said, looking a little scared "I'm not accusing you… it's just that we all know how much you used to love Quinn. And maybe you still do."

"What do I have to do with anything?" Quinn said through fresh tears.

"We know there was something between you and Joe." Artie's voice was croaky with pain.

"I- he liked me. And I- I did like him back." Quinn said, feeling the need to defend the boy who was gone forever. "But nothing happened."

"And either way I wouldn't care! Are you serious? You think I'd kill someone over a chick? I could get any girl in the school. I don't need to kill for Quinn. No ofense, Quinn." Puck added.

"None taken." She still looked shell-shocked, shaking her head at Rachel.

"Why are you so quick to judge?" Puck asked, jerking his head at the star of the club.

Rachel's face crumpled. "I'm so sorry Noah. I just- I want this over with. I can't stand the thought that one of you..."

She trailed off and Finn put him arms around her. "Leave her alone, Puck."

"Okay. I'm sorry." Puck did look sorry he'd said anything. "I don't like this either Rachel. So I guess for now we can just pretend it's not any of us. And hope it stops."

"It'll stop." Blaine spoke for the first time. As the Glee Club turned to look at him, they saw why. Kurt was as pale and a sheet and shaking in his arms. That would certainly have distracted Blaine.

"It has to." Sam agreed.

And that was the end of the discussion. Someone got up to make tea, coffee and hot chocolate in an attempt to normalise the situation. All conversation was done in quiet whispers. No one laughed. Everyone avoided the topic of just who could be the murderer.

After a while Mr Schue gathered Mike, Sam, Puck and Finn to go and collect the body with him. They would leave it in the room meant for Artie and Joe to share. Artie was moving in with Mike and Sam, who had a room that could fit three. No one was to go into Joe's room until something was arranged when they were picked up.

...

Collecting the body, they could hardly look at what they were doing.

"Why," Sam questioned, his brow knitted together. "Why would they kill him like Jesus? What kind of sick..."

Will squeezed his shoulder and held out the sheet he'd brought. "Let's cover him up. I don't want these to be your last memories of Joe. Remember him as he was- alive and happy."

"I don't think that's something any of us will be able to do." Finn said sadly. But he took the sheet and helped lay it over Joe before they lifted him from the ground, trying their best to turn their minds away from the task.

...

No one seemed ready to go the bed that night. It was past ten o'clock, and still everyone was gathered in the main hall. They sat very close together, some had gathered their blankets and sleeping bags and sat cuddled inside them.

Mr Schue had been sitting with his arm around Emma for a while before he remembered the piece of paper he'd taken from the site of the murder. Numbly, he pulled it out of his pocket and unfolded it.

"What's that Mr Schue?" It was the first time Kurt had spoken in louder than a whisper since they'd found Joe. His voice was abnormally high, even for him.

"Oh," Will realised he wasn't sure he wanted to open it in front of the kids until he knew it wouldn't upset them. Too late now. "I found it beside the body."

Kurt gasped and his hands flew up to cover his mouth as heads snapped up around the room.

"Read it." Quinn snapped, desperation in her eyes.

Will opened the last fold and smoothed it out, surprised there was no blood on it after it had lain on Joe, covered in blood himself.

"_And so it begins... I feel I should start with a 'Once Upon a Time' for the start of our story; our fairytale. I'll do this first one a little differently, before we get to the really fun part! The story of Jesus has always been another fairytale to me. And Joe is your Jesus isn't he? He's the religious figure. The Teen Jesus as you say. _

_Once Upon a Time there was a man who was loved by his people as Joe was loved by our Glee Club. This man walked the earth as one of them, though he surely had a higher calling. But one day, the people grew disillusioned with his love. They rejected him. So Jesus was taken to be killed. He was hung to a cross, his arms outstreached as nails were driven into his skin. His feet were nailed in too, and the pain was immense. They put a crown of thorns on his head and they mocked him. _

_Then Jesus died. And the world fell into darkness. No one would live happily ever after._

_And, unlike the story of Jesus, your Joe will never live again. He will never rise to life. You will never get him back._

_The End"_

Will gulped as his finished the letter, trying to process everything he'd read. The silence in the room echoed. Suddenly the paper was torn from his hands and he looked up the see the ferocious expression on Santana's face and she ripped the paper to shreds.

"Santana no!" Quinn yelled, leaping forward and trying to pry the paper from her hands. But Santana simply threw the shreads into the open fireplace.

"No, Quinn. It would not have helped us to look at those words again. It would have hurt us. It would have been pointless. This club has been _ruined _and we need to hold it together and protect eachother. I barely even _knew _Joe well and even I..." She yelled in frustration. It was a purely animal sound that expressed what words could not and kicked the basket of newspaper and wood beside the fire. She had obviously lost her temper completly.

"Damm it!" Santana screamed "What kind of sick...? Who would write something like that!? What the f-"

"Santana!" Emma yelped, darting forward as Santana's legs gave way and she slumped to the ground.

"This isn't fair." Santana's head shook back and forth as she sat there, stunned by her own outburst. Suddenly the fire was gone from her body. "It' sick and I can't believe it."

Carefully, Emma put an arm around the furious girl and smoothed her hair back. "Will, we have to do something. Santana's right. This is sick."

"Santana's right." Quinn echoed faintly, staring into the fire where the flames consumed the killers thought's on Joe's death. Then she burst into tears again and fell back, only to be caught by Puck.

Now the two girls sat on the floor and stared at eachother with tearful eyes. After barely a moment Brittany joined them, wrapping her arms around Santana. Then Mercedes stood with Suagr in her wake, and Rachel pulled Finn up after them. Soon the whole Glee Club had gathered on the floor, couples intwined and also holding hand with their friends. Will was the last to join them, gulping hard as if something was stuck in his throat.

"Mr Schue?" Mercedes asked, her voice choked with sadness. "Can we sleep in here together? Just for tonight? All of us?"

Will looked around the the faces of the children that seemed both hopeless and hopefull at once. He wished they hadn't seen the things they had. They were too young.

"That sounds lovely." he agreed.

* * *

Reviews would mean the world to me :) And you're welcome to start guessing the killer any time! Or telling me what sort of pairings you like. Thanks to gleerox for reviewing already!


	4. Waking Up

Next chapter quite quickly... Written while procrastinating so I don't have to study.

* * *

_Oh my god, this cannot be happening right now._

_There is no way I'm letting anyone mess up my glee club..._

_Joe's gone. Joe. Gone forever. Sweet, caring, loving Joe. Joe._

_I can't believe it. Who would do this?_

_Poor Joe... I'm going miss that tarantula-head so much._

_I gotta protect my girl. That's what I'll set my mind on. This killer won't break me so easily._

_We're so vulnerable. How can we escape this island before someone else...?_

_Oh no. Not the kids. Will always thought I cared so much because of my feeling for him, but it's the kids that matter. And I will protect them._

_This makes no sense. None at all. _

_We're gonna get home. Home to Dad. We're gonna get home. home. home. home. home._

_This is a disaster. None of my kids would do this. What's happening? _

_I'm so scared. I don't want to die this way. I don't want to watch my friends die. _

_This is messed up. We'll find a way out. We've got to._

_I can't believe this. Glee's where I've always been safe. And now..._

_I can't be everywhere at once. How do I work out what's happening and solve it? I always solve problems... it's what I do..._

_This seems more deliciously enjoyable than I ever imagined..._

...

Tina was the first to wake the next morning. Mike's arm was around her and she smiled as she saw his face. He looked peaceful as he slept. Then she remembered the events of the previous day and her eyes flooded with new tears. Tina quickly wiped them away. She didn't want to cry. As she shifted in her sleeping bag, she was able to sit up, her back against the wall behind her. Everyone else looked so peaceful to.

It was odd to see even Puck and Santana so calm and innocent as they slept. Everyone looked so happy. But soon they would wake and experience the gut-sinking realisation she had. They weren't safe.

Across the room she saw Kurt stir in his own bundled duvet. As his tried eyes fluttered open they darted around the room. Her saw her sitting and smiled weakly at her. Tina returned a smile of her own.

"Morning," Kurt's whisper was croaky from crying the previous evening.

"Good morning," Tina's reply could barely be heard either. Then Kurt's attention was diverted to Blaine beside him. His lip trembled as he smoothed back the other boy's hair, and then he planted a kiss on his forehead.

"They look so peaceful," Kurt said, wistfully. Tina nodded, looking down at Mike.

The next to stir was Mercedes. She stretched and yawned, significantly louder in the quiet room. Then she spotted the sleeping bodies around her and stifled the second noisy yawn.

"Sorry," she hissed when she was finished. "What's the time?"

"I'm not sure," Kurt replied. "Our phones are still on the dining table after we couldn't get service last night."

"Urg," Mercedes groaned. "Last night..."

There was a moment of incredible sadness between the three friends.

"Joe..." Tina said.

"I can't believe it. I just can't." Mercedes said. "It doesn't seem real."

"Last night," Kurt whispered "I had a dream that I woke up back home, and Joe's death had been a dream itself."

Mercedes reached over where Quinn lay between her and Kurt, and squeezed his leg. Tina wished she could comfort him from the other side of the room, but she didn't want to wake any of the others. If they were dreaming similarly to Kurt, she'd hate to wake them.

Kurt laid a hand on top Mercedes own, and suddenly Quinn's eyes opened too.

"Morning sleepy," Kurt couldn't conjure up a smile as he looked down at Quinn.

"Hi," Quinn's eyes were bloodshot. She opened them as widely as she could and quickly sat up.

"What's wrong Quinn?" Mercedes asked.

"I never want to sleep again." Quinn moaned, pulling her knees up around herself "I dreamt about Joe. On a cross. And people were mocking him and…. and he was in so much _pain_."

Tina blinked back more tears and risked a delicate scramble past their sleeping friends to join Quinn, Kurt and Mercedes. She hated being alone while they were so close. As she arrived, the four of them shared a group hug. Kurt pulled back from his bed a little, careful not to disrupt Blaine, to give Tina room.

After a few minutes Quinn's crying stopped again. She sniffled and looked around.

"What's the time?" She asked.

"We don't know. But I'll go check, if you want." Kurt sniffled, standing as he spoke. "Keep my bed warm Tina."

"I will,"

Kurt stood, his long striped pyjamas and elegant fashion looked out of place with his dishevelled hair and tear-stained face. He walked without his usual graceful lilt and disappeared through the door to the kitchen. There was a moment's pause. And then Kurt squealed very loudly.

The high pitched noise woke half of the glee club and had Mercedes, Quinn and Tina on their feet almost immediately.

"Kurt!" If the glee club hadn't woken before, Mercedes scream had them jerking into consciousness. The second Blaine noted the empty bed beside him, and heard the name, his eyes filled with fear and he was racing after the girls.

...

Quinn was the first in the room, and her whole body relaxed at the sight of Kurt standing there. He was alive. The relief that flooded through her made her stop where she was. As Tina and Mercedes entered behind her they froze similarly. But Blaine pushed through the doorway, past the girls, and threw his arms around Kurt, peppering his cheeks with kisses as soon as he'd gaged that Kurt seemed fine, if shaken.

"I'm okay, Blaine." Kurt whispered, placing a hand on the side of his boyfriends face and looking earnestly into his eyes.

"I know. I'm so glad. I thought- I thought I'd lost you." Blaine leaned forward to touch foreheads with Kurt. "It was the worst few seconds of my life."

The moment was so intimate Tina and Mercedes looked away, slightly embarrassed. But Quinn didn't seem to have the same problem. She gave them a moment and then stepped forward. "What _was _wrong, Kurt?"

"The cell phones," Kurt pulled himself away from Blaine and gestured to the empty table. "I don't know where they are."

"Cell phones?" Mike's still tired voice came from the doorway, and the four in the room turned to see most of the club out of their beds.

"Yeah," Kurt answered "We wanted to know the time, so I came in here to check from my phone. Only..."

Again they all looked at the empty table where the phones belonging to each member of the club had been left the night before.

"I don't think you should go anywhere by yourself for a while, Kurt." Emma told him, her eyes wide and worried. "Anything could have happened."

Rachel weaved her way through the crowd and wrapped her arms around her best friend. Kurt's arms gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Miss Pillsbury's right. You can't go risking your life for something as stupid as checking the time. _None_ of us can." Rachel turned to look at the rest of the club.

"Whatever Rachel." Puck sounded annoyed "I just want to know what happening to our phones. Why would the killer- and I'm _assuming_ that's who did this- get rid of them anyway?"

"I think I know why." Artie was still in bed in the next room, unable to leap up and join the glee club. At the sound of his voice they looked slightly guilty for leaving him. They quickly re-entered the main hall so they could talk with everyone together. A faint blush in his cheeks showed how embarrassed Artie was by this, but he spoke as if he didn't care. "The killer wouldn't get rid of our phones unless they knew it would somehow help us to keep them. So that must mean there was reception somewhere on this island. We could have gotten a signal if we'd walked far enough to find it. And then we could have called the police."

"You're right Artie." Will looked agonised. He had obviously been holding tight to the hope that the killer was finished. But this was the last straw in forcing him to believe that they planned to strike again.

"There's a flaw in the killer's plan though..." Artie had a wicked grin on his face, and everyone's attention was captured by him. "We've outwitted them. _I _still have my phone. _I _didn't put it on the table last night."

Hope lit the faces in front of him. Excitement flooded Artie's voice.

"Finn, reach over to my chair!" He said to the boy standing right beside it. "My phone's in the pocket hanging down the side of the right arm."

Finn dug inside, grinning. But quickly the look faded. He stared at the pocket before pulling his hand out. His hands came out empty.

"There's nothing there, Artie." Finn said. "Dude, I'm sorry."

Artie's face crumpled. He realised things weren't over. The solution just wasn't that easy. Artie squeezed his eyes as tightly shut as he could. A few curses rang out from the rest of the club in their annoyance. Puck kicked a doorway.

"It's okay, Artie." Brittany said, going to the side of his bed and kneeling down to hug him "We'll get out of this. Bad things like this never really continue that long."

Her naive happiness brought tears to Santana's eyes. The tough girl quickly turned away from the sight of her girlfriend's blind hope against all odds. She didn't want to cry and break down again. The rest of the club watched with similar wistfulness at the pure innocence of Brittany's statement.

"And Joe's in heaven now. _That's_ where good people like Joe go." Brittany said with a firm nod. Artie was struggling to keep his composure, but he managed to smile at his ex-girlfriend. For her sake, everyone wanted to stay strong in that moment.

"Thanks Britt." He said, as if he believed her words. "I'm sure you're right."

* * *

Guesses on the killer or telling me what pairings you like seeing are always welcome. Thanks to gleerox and SatanxDuxxCherryxSamchelxxxx xx for reviewing


	5. Speculation

Sepculation and stuff. Feel free to speculate with the characters :)

* * *

"I found the phones." Sugar said, entering the Main Hall from the kitchen. Everyone had been having breakfast and she'd just put her plate back in the kitchen when she'd seen the sight out of the window there. Every single one of their phones had been dropped from the kitchen window. The house being located on the hill meant it had some windows a lot higher than others because of the house's position on the slope. The kitchen window was one of the highest up, and below it was a concrete path. Glancing out of the window, Sugar couldn't have failed to miss the array of colourful plastic shattered below her.

The Glee Club looked up and followed her out. As they reached the path, each picked up the remains of their cell phones and tried to put them back together. It didn't work.

Eventually Mr Schue decided to recall order. He wanted to take everyone's minds off things. They looked utterly depressed.

"Okay guys!" At his call they looked up, falling silent. "We had some activities planned for today. So maybe we should continue with those."

They looked less than enthusiastic with the suggestion.

"I'm _serious_. We were going to do some singing. And then we need to collect wood for our bonfire. I was thinking we'd start it tonight and then relight and stock it each night. We can have some bonfire time every night before bed." Will hitched a smile onto his face. "What do you say?"

"That sounds great Mr Schue." Finn agreed quickly. Everyone else was _not_ looking so happy about the idea. But Finn agreed, they needed to take their minds off things.

"I don't feel like singing." Quinn said.

There was an awkward pause before people began nodding their agreement. Will looked disappointed. He'd wanted some light-heartedness. And the Glee Club always felt closer after singing together. But he wasn't going to force them to sing.

"Firewood then." Puck said. He was already looking ready. Physical activity was always a good distraction for him. "Do you have an axe or something? I'll cut up some logs."

Will nodded and made his way over to a small door in the bottom side of the cabin. There was a small shed down there and inside he pushed away a lawnmower to grab the axe from among the garden tools. "Here you go Puck."

Puck took it, flexing his muscles and raising an eyebrow at Quinn. She raised an eyebrow back, obviously unimpressed. Even thoroughly upset, they were still the same kids they'd always been.

"Well, let's hop to it!" Emma clapped her hands and smiled at the Glee Club. They began to move, some more grudging than others.

"Umm... hold on." Will said suddenly. He looked anxious "Before you go off in the forest. I need you to promise you'll stay with at least one other person at all times. I don't want anyone alone. Stay within sight of each other."

There was a collective mumble of agreement and then the kids began to walk through the forest. According to Mr Schue's wishes they stuck close together. Puck took charge of Artie's wheelchair and Artie offered to carry most of the wood in his lap. As the minutes passed small groups began dispersing from the main lot, until Puck, Artie, Mike, Tina, Blaine and Kurt walked together.

...

"So..." Artie decided to address the topic they were all avoiding. "Who do you think did it?"

Everyone missed at step at the shocking introduction of the question. Then they continued to walk.

"It could be anyone." Blaine finally said, looking tortured.

"Some more likely than others." Artie said. His inquisitive mind made him want to dig deeper. Artie had always been a thinker, wanting to know what was happening around him. "Quinn for example..."

"Quinn?" Puck asked, disbelieving.

"She was discovered on the scene of the crime. And who's to say the tears were real. She's gone all numb _now_. And there's only a certain amount of fake crying a person can do. So she would have chosen the other approach rather than try to cry more. It would be the smartest move."

Silence echoed. Finally it was broken by Tina. "I don't think Quinn would..."

"Is there anyone here you would have expected to murder someone?" Artie rebuffed.

"No. But... Quinn and Joe were becoming real close lately. She would never have actually killed him." Tina said. "I mean, Quinn's been a little phsyco before. But murder?"

"She was quite crazy when she wanted her baby back." Puck said slowly. "But I still stand by my point. She's not a murderer."

"Okay," Artie said. "If it's not Quinn. And I'm not ruling her out. Who do you think it is?"

"I-" Puck shrugged "I dunno. Maybe Rachel? But nah, she really doesn't have the motivation. It just seemed a little suspicious when she was accusing everyone. That's why I thought it was her. Because she was getting all het up about thinking of who it was. So maybe Rachel, like I said before."

"Or like _she_ said before." Kurt began his blue eyes wide "Maybe it's..."

Everyone turned to look at him as the sentence trailed off into nothing. He'd thought better of finishing it, in resent company. Instead of speaking, he was eyeing Puck worriedly and as Puck's head turned last of all, he quickly looked away.

"Someone else." Kurt finished lamely.

The rest of the group cast glances at Puck from the corners of their eyes. But he merely looked thoughtful, not angry. He hadn't picked up on Kurt's suspicions. Mike quickly tried to speak.

"We also know the killer must have been sleeping on the outside of our pile last night, so they could go and smash the phones without waking anyone. That was Brittany, Santana, Mercedes, Quinn, and you two." He nodded at Kurt and Blaine. "Of course, you found the phones Kurt."

Kurt and Blaine nodded meekly. It disturbed them to think they might be suspects just because of where they slept.

"Unless the person just climbed over, avoiding all the bodies. Then they wouldn't have been someone sleeping on the edge. We can't rule everyone else out." Tina said. "In the morning that's what I did. I climbed over everyone and no one woke up."

"You know, now that you mention it." Artie said. "Do you think... Santana?"

"Santana?" Tina asked.

"Well, she's always so angry. And she doesn't really like to admit that she likes us. It's seems like it's not much of a stretch to consider that maybe she doesn't really. Maybe she's capable of murder" Artie reasoned, looking troubled.

"Angry," Mike agreed "But a killer?"

"I wouldn't have thought anyone was a killer until it happened." Blaine said. "And now it has. So someone must be."

"Can we not?" Kurt asked. He seemed close to tears. "Can we stop talking about it? I hate this."

Artie turned his head and peered around Puck at Kurt. Again, Kurt was watching Puck's back with worried eyes. He also looked like he might cry.

"Sure thing," Artie said, comforting. "Have you found any dry wood to cut yet Puck?"

...

"I hate this Finn." Rachel swirled around to face her beloved fiancé as soon as they were alone, some way away from the rest of the Glee Club. "The idea that any moment you might be _taken _from me."

Finn shuffled with his hands in his pockets. "I know. I hate it too."

Rachel lurched forward and grabbed one of his hands in hers before putting her other hand over his heart.

"But we'll always love each other. They can't tear us apart!" Rachel insisted, her heart in her eyes.

Finn gave her his smitten smile and leaned in, his nose inches from hers. "I will never let them touch you."

Rachel rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. It was passionate, but short. Almost as soon as they broke apart they began walking again, hand in hand.

"Who do you think it is?" Rachel asked.

Finn shrugged "I dunno. I can't imagine anyone doing that to Joe. No one had any reason to hate Joe. Especially not to hate him that much."

"Well," Rachel looked hesitant "There's a suspect that… I know he's your best friend but..."

"Puck," Finn sighed "Like you said before?"

"Yes. It's the one that makes the _most_ sense. He loved Quinn. I always thought him and Quinn were going to end up together. And even though there wasn't actually much between Quinn and Joe, I think Puck was threatened. He's always been volatile. Maybe he took it out on Joe. Maybe something in him _snapped_."

He huge eyes turned to Finn. She was almost overly dramatic about it, but Finn could read the fear in her eyes.

"Maybe..." Finn said. "I don't like talking about this though Rachel. If I'm being honest, I don't think I could accuse anyone now. I'm not brave enough to face a killer. Maybe if it was as they were acting- about to murder someone in front of me- and I had had to get in the way, adrenaline would kick in. But... I think I'm kind of a coward."

He seemed so ashamed of this admission Rachel stopped walking.

"Finn Hudson," She said sternly. "I love you, and I have complete faith in you. Like any good leader, you've stepped up before! When the time comes to really stand up for someone, you do it! And like any real hero, _of course_ you question yourself. It's _adorable_. But it's misguided. I know you'd live up to your hero status as soon and you have to."

"Thanks Rachel. You're a pretty awesome girlfriend."

Rachel grinned "I know. And you're the best boyfriend."

Finn lifted their clasped hands and kissed the ring on her finger, making his fiancé blush.

...

"Santana I don't understand." Brittany said. She and Santana had been walking alone for some time.

"What Britt?" Santana tried to keep her voice light. Really she was terrified over what might happen to a tender soul like Brittany in this sort of situation.

"I know I told Artie everything was fine. But I lied." A pause "Santana, I'm really scared."

As Brittany's voice broke her girlfriend swung around and placed a hand on each cheek. Tears spilled over from Brittany's eyes for the first time since her numb shock after Joe's death. Santana reached her arms around Brittany and held her as Brittany sobbed into her shoulder.

"We're all scared," Santana whispered. After her own breakdown she'd tried to seem as tough as usual. Unconcerned.

"I don't get it." Brittany said again. "Who killed Joe?"

"I don't know Britt." Santana said.

"But everyone was so upset. Who killed him if everyone was so sad?"

"The killer was acting. They were tricking us into thinking they were sad too." Santana explained, heart breaking at Brittany's inability to comprehend this sort of lying.

"Well, okay. They were lying then. But why did they kill him anyway? It looked so _awful._" She remembered the mangled body; remembered vomiting in the bushes.

"I don't know." Santana said again "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do it." Brittany said.

"Thank you for your faith in me. Others might not be the same." Santana sighed, knowing her personality would work against her in this case. "And I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Other people just don't understand you, Santana. But don't worry. I'll tell them the truth. And you don't _have_ to save me."

"Thank you Brittany. I'm glad I have you." Santana hooked her pinkie finger into Brittany's and tugged slightly, pulling her forwards to walk again. "We should find the others."

"It wasn't me either you know." Brittany told her. "I'm not a killer."

"I know," Santana leaned her head on Brittany's shoulder.

...

Quinn, Sam, Sugar and Mercedes had formed an odd group. They'd been talking about the same thing and ended up splitting off in another group. It was a while before the topic trailed off and silence feel between them. Sugar and Quinn exchanged a smirk and the way Mercedes and Sam couldn't keep the flirting low key. At all.

As Sam held a branch out of the way for Mercedes, the girl's expression suddenly turned thoughtful.

"Quinn," She said tentatively "How're you holding up?"

"I'm okay. I'm sorry I've been a little flat." The mood of carefree talking that had developed between the four disappeared. Quinn tried to smile and failed. "It was just finding the body was such a shock. And Joe was such a good friend. He just helped me so much, with getting walking again. And..."

Sugar put a hand on her arm as she squeezed her eyes shut to hold back tears.

"Sorry. What a mess this holiday is." Quinn said.

"I wish we were home." Sugar agreed. "With Joe gone, and no one able to stop crying, it's not much of a holiday."

"Not to mention a murderer still on the loose." Sam added.

There was an awkward pause.

"Who d-?" Sugar and Mercedes began at the same time and stopped.

"Not Puck. Not Rachel." Quinn said quickly "Despite them accusing each other last night."

"Then...?"

"Not me. Not you guys, I'm sure. Unless you want to tell me now it was you." There was no movement to confess, not that it was surprising. Quinn continued "Not Kurt or Blaine. Kurt was completely zoned out with shock. It freaked him out. And Blaine was stunned himself, though what completely consumed him was _Kurt's_ agony. He wouldn't cause Kurt that sort of pain. Not Artie. He was friends with Joe. You've seen how desperate he is to work out the solution to the issue. Not Mike and Tina, both of them were crying and they were out in the main hall anyway, I was with them the whole time since we arrived. Not Brittany, she _vomited_ and she's way too innocent. Not Santana, who has the same thing going on as Blaine does. Though she's vicious enough, she'd never cause Brittany that sort of pain. Not Finn. I just- I know Finn. Not him. And not Mr Schue or Ms Pillsbury. They're trying to hold this together. They're too focused on helping us kids. They're obsessed with being good teachers. They'd never kill students."

"But that's everyone." Sam said "You just ruled out everyone."

"I know." Quinn said. "Do you see my point? There are reasons anyone could be the killer, and reasons they aren't. We're never going to work it out. We're probably going to die."

It was Sugar's turn to choke down a sob. "I don't want to die."

"None of us do." Mercedes gave her back a comforting rub, "But it might happen. Quinn's right. Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to pray about it tonight? You and me can get the club together and pray for us."

"Yes. I think I need God right now. He's got Joe up there in heaven after all." Quinn agreed, exchanging a tender smile with Mercedes.

"It's probably time to head back." Sam said, looking at his watch. 'We have plenty of wood anyway."

* * *

Please review everyone :) Thanks to those who have so far.


	6. By the Lake

The glee club gathered in the open space in front of the house and stacked their firewood. It was lunch time and Miss Pillsbury brought out sandwiches again because nobody was really in the mood to cook proper food. Every sandwich was cut into a perfect triangle and was stacked in a perfect pattern on the plate. It was obvious the stress had kicked her OCD into action again, just as she was starting to overcome it to some extent.

"Thank you Miss Pillsbury," Kurt smiled, taking the first one. Each student after him thanked her just as warmly, seeing the sandwiches and the way her hands would twitch them back into place after someone took their share from the plate beside her. They guessed what was going on.

"What did you think about that letter the killer left?" Rachel asked suddenly. The Glee Club looked up in shock for a moment. They hadn't expected to talk about it with _everyone_ present. The letter had been so shocking. After Santana had burned it, some had hoped it would never be brought up again. Rachel blushed as she realised she'd addressed the elephant in the room, and that no one wanted to discuss it. "The- the methods of killing. The- fairy-tale idea…"

Everyone was simply staring at Rachel. Her cheeks flushed an even deeper red.

"It's sick. What else is there to think?" Quinn asked finally, disgust coating her voice.

"I just wondered if everyone would get a fairy-tale or what." Rachel elaborated. "Or even worse, if we'll get warning from the notes and not be able to stop it from happening."

People continued to exchange worried glances. Mr Schue and Emma were staring at each other, communicating without speaking.

"Why did you burn the letter, Santana?" Artie groaned, realisation dawning in his eyes about something. Everyone turned to him.

"I didn't think it was good to _dwell _on everything. And besides, the killer left that letter to freak us out. Why else would they do it? There's no way I was letting that happen!" Santana growled.

"But don't you get it?" Artie wheeled forward over the uneven ground as he spoke. "We could have looked at the _handwriting. _It was a _handwritten letter! _We could have found the killer!"

All eyes were on either Artie or Santana. Artie was obviously berating himself for not having realised it sooner.

"Why did you have to throw it in the fire?" Finn said as well, regretful and running his hands through his hair.

"Maybe Santana had a reason to do it." Rachel said. "Removal of evidence."

There was a tense silence.

"What is _with you_, Goblin Girl?" Santana snarled "Stop accusing people!"

"You seem to have a problem with that." Puck agreed, glaring at Rachel. "Accusing people all time."

Tears were welling up in Rachel's eyes from the moment Santana's attack had begun.

"I'm not trying to accuse you guys." She began, "I'm just trying to consider the possibilities!"

"Whatever, Berry. Then you better remember everyone's a suspect. Even you." Santana's lip curled as she said it.

"Leave her alone, she's crying." Finn said.

"Yeah, but she can cry on command. So what?" Santana sniped in return.

"Now, Santana," Mr Schue interrupted "That's not a very nice way to-"

"Shut up Mr Schue. We've heard enough bullshit about how 'safe' we are from you. We don't need to hear more lies." Santana said.

Mr Scheuster fell back a little. He looked alarmed at Santana's view of him. As he glanced at Emma for support, she didn't meet his eyes.

"Emma," He whispered, forcing her to look at him.

"Santana's right, Will," Emma said sorrowfully. "We have to let them talk about it. Talking is good for them. That's one thing I learned from my job. Kids need to talk. And maybe one of them will work something out."

There was a tense silence before Rachel spoke again.

"I-I think the best way to prevent thing for now, is to always travel in threes. And-"

"We know, Rachel," Finn said gently. He hadn't missed the furious glances being sent her way.

Blaine suddenly stood, clapping his hands. Everyone had finished there sandwiches and he thought it was best to interrupt them before Rachel said something else and Santana snapped.

"We should go swimming or something." He said. "Relieve the tension. Give us something to do. It'll be good."

The Club perked up a little at his suggestion. It was a sunny day after-all. And they had to whole afternoon still to go. Swimming sounded nice. Blaine grinned and pulled Kurt up.

"I am not getting in that water Blaine Anderson," Kurt warned. He shuddered slightly. "I have no idea what sort of stuff's floating around in there. Pondweed, dirt, _fish,"_

The Club laughed this time, tension disappearing slightly at the statement that was so purely _Kurt. _They stood and began to make their way back to the Cabin. They looked a little lighter at the idea of just having fun for the first time since Joe's death. Most of them just wanted to take their minds of everything.

Last of all, Mr Schue stood up and followed them, feeling utterly useless.

…

Ten minutes later they were racing towards the lakeshore in clothes appropriate for swimming. Puck, Finn, Sam, Blaine and Mike were in the lead, each determined that they would be the first underwater. As they reached the shore they threw their things down began to splash their way in. Unfortunately, the sun had not managed to warm the water, and at the touch of cold waves lapping gently against them, the boys recoiled for a moment. This moment was long enough for the girls and guys behind them to catch up. With a wild yell, Mercedes darted past them and threw herself into a dive.

There was a huge splash as Mercedes went right under, emerging with an even huger grin on her face. She flicked back the wet hair that fell in her eyes and mocked the boys who she'd beaten.

"Are you serious? Too cold for you, is it?" She called. "The water's fine, you bunch of chickens."

"Shut up!" Puck yelled, leaping forward to immerse himself in water too. He came up, spluttering and gasping.

"That's cold!" he yelped, his voice abnormally high.

Mike, Blaine and Finn snorted and jumped in after him. As Blaine flicked out his hair like a wet dog after popping to the surface, he glanced back to see Sam was still frozen on the lakeshore. He was staring at Mercedes in awe.

"Get out of here," Mercedes was scoffing at Puck, who was determined to prove Mercedes had somehow cheated. After grasping at straws Puck was trying to insist she didn't feel the cold the same way because of her gender. She hadn't been forced to stop. She swam forwards a little to the shallower waters, ignoring Puck, and walked her way up to where Quinn and the other girls stood.

As Mercedes approached the shore Sam's face grew hot with colour, his shoulders hunching forwards. He took one more glance at his swimming costume before squeezing his eyes shut and rushing forwards until he was neck deep in the water, floating with his knees bent up. Blaine spluttered with laughter at the sight, realising no one else had noticed.

The last glee-clubbers were just arriving then, Tina and Rachel having wheeled Artie to the shore and secured his chair beside the towels they were now spreading on the ground. Blaine spotted Kurt beside them, spreading another layer of sunscreen onto his face, and could hear him grumbling about tan lines as his hands moved down to rub it into his neck. Watching his strong, sure fingers, Blaine quickly averted his eyes before he had the same problem as the boy he planned to tease and swam over to Sam for a distraction.

And around them the rest of the glee club members were settled and happy as well. On the shore Artie, Mr Schue, Ms Pillsbury (who had set up a sun umbrella), Tina, Kurt, Sugar and Rachel were talking. Some of them had spread out to sunbathe. Others, like Kurt with his porcelain skin, were rubbing in sunscreen. The loose pebbles of the lakeshore were littered with everyone's stuff. Finn and Puck where currently pushing Mike underwater and counting the seconds before he popped up again, starting another contest. Mercedes broke off from where she was floating lazily with Quinn, Brittany and Santana to ask if she could join the contest. As Puck made excuses, knowing he'd be beaten again, the girls began to tease him. After a while, when Blaine finally convinced Sam to admit his feelings, they two boys went to join them.

The hours went by and no one seemed to care that they were turning into prunes from being in the water so long. Rachel's constant stream of chatter blew over them from the shore, interspersed with Kurt's high-pitched exclamations at things she said and the laughter of everyone over there. People began moving in and out of the water, taking breaks for afternoon tea. Sugar Motta eventually decided she had enough of a tan and swam out with Quinn.

At some point Mr Schue produced an inflatable beach-ball and blew it up. Most of the club gathered and began to bat it backwards and forwards. Tina and Emma agreed to come and hold a stick and stand between two teams to make a game of in-the-water-volleyball. Partway through they swapped places with Rachel, and then back again. Mercedes joined Rachel, Artie and Kurt at the lakeside and they talked for a while too.

Sooner or later the game of volleyball broke up with a fight between Santana and Puck and people began to look for something new to do.

Suddenly Puck yelled Kurt's name from in the water, making the group from the lakeside look up in surprise.

"You're right Puck," Blaine was saying, with a cheeky smirk on his face as he turned to face the group on the lakeshore. "Kurt _is _the only one who hasn't been in the water yet."

"Oh no," Kurt said, sitting up and glaring threateningly at the boys in the water. "No way…"

"It's such a pity," Sam added, picking up on what was happening with a broad grin.

"Kurt's missing out on so much," Blaine agreed, wading slowly through the water to the shore. He friends followed behind with the same evil grins on their faces.

"Blaine," Kurt sounded very stern "I'm warning you."

Suddenly Blaine had leapt out of the water, and dashed towards his boyfriend. Kurt let out a loud squeal and darted behind Artie's chair, making for the cabins and trying to dodge the towels and piles of clothing in his way. Unfortunately for him, Blaine had everyone else on his side. Rachel, who had been right beside Kurt, leapt up and caught him. In the time it took Kurt to wriggle away, Blaine had caught up to them. Mike, Finn, Sam and Puck were standing between him and the building as Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's struggling form.

"No way! Get off me!" Kurt squealed, thrashing in his arms. "This is so unfair! _Artie _hasn't been in yet."

"I can't go in, Hummel!" Artie yelled teasingly, "Go and do it for me!"

"No!" Kurt yelled back. "This is so unfair!"

Puck quickly darted forwards to help, grabbing Kurt's arms and holding him still as Kurt let out a furious swipe in Blaine's direction. Together Blaine and Puck dragged Kurt to the lake. Mike, Sam and Finn carefully helping shove against them as Kurt dug his heels in.

"This is not waterproof sunscreen! I'll get burnt really bad if it comes off!" Kurt yelped, pushing as hard as he could the other way and feeling the force of half the football team against him. His friends cheered as his feet reached the wet pebbles.

"And my whole skin-care plan for this holiday will be _ruined_!" Kurt added, squirming to the side and almost escaping. Blaine let out a grunt and shoved him forwards. By this stage Kurt's feet were in the water. His voice turned desperate. "Please Blaine, please."

Kurt's blue eyes met Blaine with their faces very close and his resolve wavered for a moment. Kurt took advantage of this, licking his lips and whispering. "Please don't make me,"

"None of that!" Puck flipped Kurt to face the other way. Blaine's jaw tightened as he remembered what he wanted to do. Immediately Kurt began to speak rapidly and desperately.

"My hair will get all messed up! I'm not even in swimming clothes Blaine, please. This shirt was a rare find and I- eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww !" He screamed as he felt the slimy pebbles under his toes.

With a final shove Blaine threw him forward and an almighty cheer went up from the group as Kurt fell underwater, arms flailing.

He popped up almost immediately, gasping and spluttering, dripping water. They watched with baited breath as Kurt closed his eyes, his shoulder tense. Slowly his eyes opened again. He looked furious.

"Blaine. Devon. Anderson." Kurt whispered dangerously. A collective "ooooh" sounded from their friends as Blaine paled.

"You. Are. In. Big. Trouble." Kurt growled as he moved slowly towards Blaine. His boyfriend seemed frozen and completely unable to move.

Kurt's hair hung loose over his forehead and his expensive or rare - or whatever- shirt was sopping and see-through. He had pond weed in his hair too, and draping off his shoulder. Kurt shuddered and brushed it off just as he reached Blaine. Blaine was holding his breathe, terrified. But Kurt merely stood and glared at him.

"I- I'm sorry, Kurt." Blaine finally stammered "I thought it'd b-b-be fun."

Kurt didn't move.

"I didn't want to make you mad. I'm so sorry. Kurt, I really am. Do you forgive me?" Blaine was practically grovelling. Behind him people were stifling laughter. Blaine ignored them and reached for Kurt's face. He cupped his cheek. "I'm so sorry,"

Kurt wasn't pulling away and Blaine felt slightly more confident. But just as his eyes closed and he leaned in to kiss Kurt, his boyfriend leapt to the side and yanked Blaine forward. Instead of getting his kiss, Blaine found himself shoved face-first underwater, Kurt to the side and out of his way as he splashed. Kurt giggled madly and the glee club joined in as Blaine thrashed and then surfaced.

The second Blaine had wiped the water from his eyes, Kurt schooled his face into a glare.

"Not fair Kurt," Blaine pouted. Kurt's mouth remained pressed into a line, frowning, but his eyes danced with hidden humour.

"Whatever. You are _so_ not forgiven." Kurt snapped, and turned on his heel amid the loud laughter of the club to wade back to the shore. He smiled at them when Blaine couldn't see.

"_Kurt," _Blaine whined, only making their friends laugh louder.

"Shut up! I'm off to have a shower." Kurt shot a devilish grin over his shoulder. "Someone push Blaine back under for me, will you?"

As Kurt calmly picked up Blaine's towel and fluffed it through his hair to dry it, Puck and Finn leapt forward on his command and a battle ensued. Most of the club joined in. Kurt rolled his eyes at Rachel.

"See you later." He grinned "I just have to get this pond scum off me."

Rachel nodded, not really watching Kurt as much as the battle in front of her and snorting with laughter as Finn came up to the surface, looking like a bewildered puppy.

So Kurt scooped up his things, wrapped Blaine's towel around himself and made his way up to the cabin. Alone.

…

It was a few more minutes before the wild laughter subsided and Blaine sniffed with disgust as he ran his hands through his gel-less hair. He made his way to the shore and froze as he realised his towel wasn't there.

"Where's my stuff, Artie?" Blaine asked. The boy in the wheelchair swivelled to face him as Rachel and Tina fell silent beside him. Miss Pillsbury was also coming out of the water behind Blaine.

"Kurt took it," She told him. "The towel at least."

"Did he leave a note of something?" Blaine asked, picking up the folded piece of paper that had been lying where he left his clothes and towel earlier.

"No he didn't leave a-"

"Oh my God," Artie said, "Blaine bring it here. It's from the killer! I bet it is!"

At the sound of those words, the club was up out of the water and gathered around Blaine as quickly as possible. Blaine opened the note and began to read:

'_Once upon a time there was a little girl who always wore a long red coat with a hood to cover her head. For this reason she was named Little Red Riding Hood. One day she set off into the woods, carrying a basket of goods. She planned to go and visit her grandmother._

_As Little Red Riding Hood went on her way, unaware that the forest she walked though was home to more dangers than she suspected, a wolf began to follow her. The poor child noticed the wolf, after a while, and unaware that the wolf meant to cause her harm, she allowed it to catch up to her. And she allowed the wolf to engage in conversation with her. Never once did she suspect that the wolf might be ready to harm her all along…' _

Blaine finished and dropped the note. Santana's hand flew out to catch it before it hit the ground and she peered at it, seeing that that's where the note ended. Blaine let out a strangled sound.

"Kurt," He said, meeting eyes with Mr Schue in desperation. "Kurt just wondered off alone. He went to take a shower but- but it's just the same. Just like Little Red Riding Hood."

* * *

Cliff-hanger ending, sorry! Next chapter soon. Keep reviewing guys! I'd love to hear which bits you like!


	7. Little Red Riding Hood

I know I only just put up the last chapter earlier but I wrote this pretty fast so you can have it now. Sorry for the short cliffhanger

* * *

"Kurt!" Blaine yelled from outside the cabin, racing closer with everyone on his heels. The group of people, from the desperate Blaine to Emma pushing Artie's wheelchair, looked very scared.

Blaine dashed down the hallway and peered into Kurt's cabin as he went. There was no one there, so Blaine flew to the bathroom with Puck on his heels. He could hear the shower going, but didn't allow himself to be relieved yet. It could be a trick. Blaine hammered on the door, hoping for Kurt's voice to call out. No reply.

"Kurt!" Blaine yelled, knocking again. There was still no answer but the water pattering its way down to the shower floor. Blaine tried the door, but it was locked.

"He's not in there." Puck breathed, looking around. "Shit this is bad."

Mr Schue pushed to the front and pounded his own fist against the door. "Kurt can you hear us?"

"He's not _in there_!" Blaine yelled, his voice cracking, panicked and desperate.

Mr Schue listened for one more heartbeat and then turned to face the kids.

"We have to find him!" Blaine cried, "We have to!"

"Everyone split up!" Mr Schue called, at the same time as Puck yelled. "Well let's go!"

They both nodded and pushed forward with the Club. People began splitting off, checking each room as they went, heading down the other corridor, and heading outside. They were desperate to find Kurt before something happened.

Blaine's movements were erratic, his breathing heavy. Sam joined him and tried to calm him as they searched, promising they'd find Kurt. But Kurt wasn't in the Cabin anywhere. Rachel, Mercedes, Quinn and Tina were all crying as well as they stumbled outside and began to search the woods. The cabin stood abandoned behind them, only the sounds of the shower water, left turned on as a decoy, came from within the building. Everyone wandered the forest, yelling Kurt's name.

After ten more minutes someone stumbled back into the clearing outside the cabin. It was Rachel, trying to calm Finn through her own tears. Finn stalked ahead of her, yelling in distress about what his new father would do to him if he lost his brother. About how much he'd hate himself if he lost his brother. Finn was heading across the open space to search the tree on the other side.

"He can't have just disappeared! It's freaking impossible! And who would hurt Kurt anyway? He was so happy today! _Finally!_ And you saw how torn up he was over Joe! Death always reminds him of his Mom. I'm his brother and I have to _protect_ him! And it'll get dark in a couple of hours! That means we have to find Kurt before then or-"

"shhh," Rachel hissed suddenly, reaching a hand out to stop Finn.

"I will not be quiet Rachel! I-"

"Can you hear that?" She asked, hope flooding her eyes. Finn quickly realised Rachel was onto something and listened too. Very faintly he could hear something.

"… _I'm defying gravity. And you won't bring me down..."_ The voice was clearer by the second, and very familiar. _"…I'm through accepting limits, cause someone says they're so..."_

"KURT!" Rachel screeched, running to the Cabin as fast as she could. Finn quickly overtook her and flung the cabin door open. As Rachel's shouts echoed into the trees many others came sprinting into sight. Tina had the presence of mind to ring the dinner bell as soon as she got there, long and loud. Soon everyone who'd missed the yell was running back towards the Cabin as fast as they could.

Finn flew towards the voice and found he could hear it quite clearly. It was coming through the bathroom door. Finn hammered on the door.

"Kurt!" He bellowed "Are you in there?"

The song stopped and there was a splutter, followed by a "hold on…" as the water stopped.

"Did someone say something?" Kurt asked from the bathroom.

"Kurt!" Blaine's strangled yell sounded from the end of the corridor as he arrived, pushing past other Glee Club members to get to Finn and the door.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, he sounded puzzled. "What's going on? Are you guys okay?"

Wet bare feet slapped across the tiles of the bathroom and the door opened. There was Kurt. Alive and healthy and a little baffled to find the whole glee club staring at him as he stood with nothing but a towel wrapped around his skinny waist.

"Kurt," Blaine choked, flinging his arms around him and pushing the door open to yank Kurt into the hallway. Finn joined the hug and so did Rachel, until everyone was sobbing and hugging in a massive group.

Kurt still looked very confused, one hand clutching the towel and the other pushing his hair aside to try and look more presentable.

"What on earth happened?" Kurt asked as the hug loosened and people began to let him go.

"I thought you were dead." Blaine gasped, pressing his face closer rather than dropping Kurt like everyone else. "That's the second time today and it was so much worse than this morning. Don't you _dare_ do that to me again."

"My goodness Blaine I was just having a shower!" Kurt still seemed astonished.

His friends were grinning now, finding the absurdity of the sight humorous now that they weren't worried for Kurt's life. Kurt was flattered to notice that even Santana's eyes were teary. She never cried. Speaking of people who never cried, Puck was staring at Blaine with his hands clasped like a cooing woman over a tiny baby.

"I still have no idea what all this drama's about." Kurt reminded them.

Quickly Quinn slipped into the room by the bathroom and grabbed one of Kurt's shirts. After a moment of looking at it as if considering something Kurt sighed and took it. "I guess this one will do_. _Thank you, Quinn. Mind grabbing my third pair of pyjama bottoms- the blue ones on top of my biggest suitcase. They'll match this and I can slip them on quickly."

Blaine let go reluctantly as Kurt went in to put his clothes on. They waited in the Lounge as until Kurt came out, blushing brightly and trying to fix his hair. He sat beside Blaine, who was almost overly clingy, and listened as Rachel told him what had happen.

"So then Blaine caught up and _he _knocked as well! And there was no answer!" Rachel explained, waving her arms around. "The shower was running and everything, but we were so loud there's no way you didn't hear."

Kurt rolled his eyes and nudged Blaine with his elbow, making him wince.

"You idiot Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed "You know why I brought my longest headphones! That way I balance the iPod outside the shower and I can _still listen to it!"_

"I forgot." He said, agonised. Blaine looked like he wanted to hit something. "How did I forget?"

"But we were knocking really loudly!" Finn added earnestly. "Surely music wouldn't block that out?"

"Not if I was washing my hair. Have you ever washed your hair with headphones in?"

"I did once!" Brittany said. "It was super-creepy. Like echoing in your head and it makes the water even louder than usual."

"Exactly, Britt," Kurt said. Blaine caught his eye and he sighed. "God Blaine, stop beating yourself up. I just didn't hear you. Nothing happened. It was just the music and the water and the loud scrubbing of the shampoo. I'm alive."

"The last thing I did was be mean to you." Blaine's muffled voice came from Kurt's shoulder and Kurt's expression softened.

"It's okay Blaine, I wasn't really mad at you." Kurt told him, stroking his hair. "And we're all fine."

"So cute I could vomit." Santana said, lip curled as she watched them.

"They are, aren't they?" Despite his tone of voice, Puck looked very pleased watching them.

The relieved smiles on everyone's faces made Kurt chuckle. "You didn't really think I was dead, right? I mean you were all by the lake, who was killing me?"

Other giggles rose to join his as everyone realised it. They had all been by the lake. It was stupid to think Kurt could have been killed.

"Wait," Artie snapped, reaching for Santana. He was the only one who hadn't relaxed yet, but at his tone of voice they all tensed again. "The fairytale?"

Santana reached into her pocket and passed the piece of paper to him. Artie read over it again. "Why'd they give us this if no one was going to die?"

"Maybe they meant to kill Kurt? But they couldn't?" Tine asked, but beside her Mike leapt to his feet.

"Guys we're idiots!" He yelled. "We split up to search! There were people alone in the forest!"

"Oh my god," Artie breathed, dropping the paper again. He eyes scanned the room. "Sugar's missing."

"What?" Quinn screeched as everyone looked around as well.

"I just noticed." Artie said, shaking slightly. "Where did she…?"

"Dammit!" Mr Schue cried, lurching to his feet. "We have to find her. And this time, no splitting up. We'll go out in two groups and if we don't find Sugar before dark you are to come _straight back here. _Understand?"

They nodded, already standing and making for the door. Quickly Will ran into another room and grabbed some sheets, explaining that they were needed to cover the body. Mr Schue parted them as they left, sending Emma with one group and following the other himself.

…

"What's that?" Finn finally said as they walked together, bunched tightly and holding hands with each other when they could.

"It's red," Kurt said, his voice tight and high, all the teasing of the afternoon gone as the reality of the situation sunk in again.

"Like… Red Riding Hood." Brittany stated, staring at the red fabric they could see ahead of them.

Mr Schue put out a hand and warned them to stay back before stepping forwards himself and taking in the sight before him. It _was_ Sugar, but she was barely recognisable. She was covered in blood, her clothing and skin torn as if by the claws of a monster, but on closer inspection it was more like a knife. The red towel she'd had draped over her shoulders when they'd left the lake, was torn as well, and her blood covered everything. Mr Schue paused, gagging slightly.

"Finn," he called over his shoulder, "Mike. Bring the sheets."

Finn and Mike walked forwards with the bundle of sheets in their arms. Each group had a few that they'd taken from the linen cupboard as soon as Mr Schue realised they needed something to cover up the body. He was glad, in a way, that their group had found it. He wasn't sure how Emma would have dealt with the body.

Mike and Finn both gagged at the sight as well, quickly giving Mr Schue the sheets and helping him cover the body. They both had tears in their eyes.

"They really are serious." Mike said as they tucked the sheets around Sugar and tried to avoid the blood. "About the fairytale thing. They're trying to make it all look realistic."

Mr Schue put a hand on his shoulder for a moment and then the three of them leaned forwards to carry Sugar between them.

"Quickly now," Will said "We want to head back and ring the bell before it gets dark. We need the others inside too"

Bloodstains were soaking through the sheet at they carried the body and Kurt let out a loud sob as they passed him, setting off Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn who were also in the group. The three girls clung to each other as Blaine stepped awkwardly forward to catch Sugar as Finn stumbled. Though his attention was obviously on Kurt, he wanted to help.

They arrived back at the cabin and Rachel swung the dinner bell with all her might, watching until the other group came out of the forest, and across the path to meet them. As the last (Puck with Artie's wheelchair) came out of the trees and across the lawn, Rachel sighed with relief and went back to Finn's side.

They'd put Sugar in the same room as Joe, on the opposite bed, and left quickly. Then it was a matter of waiting until everyone was there. Quinn was sobbing harder than ever, and her, Mercedes and Kurt clung to each other with shared sorrow.

Blaine was pacing up and down and Will, Mike, Finn and Rachel merely sat numbly, though Rachel was crying too.

People began filing in, stopping in horror as they saw the expressions on everyone's faces. They'd held onto some faint hope that Sugar would be safe. But it was obvious now they'd merely been naïve.

When Artie entered the room Blaine went to squeeze his hand, wanting to be there for the friend he knew had felt something for Sugar at some point. Artie looked up at him.

"So," he asked "What happened?"

Finn told them what they'd found, leaving out the sense of despair and just how grotesque Sugar had looked like that. Brittany's sobbing was deafening even without those extra details. Sugar had been a good friend to Brittany, and the other girls who'd been in her separate glee club until the Clubs had re-joined. Santana tightened her arms protectively around her girlfriend, whispering meaningless comfort to her through her own tears.

"Why did we have to split up?" Artie asked. "None of this would have happened if we had just stuck to the plan and stuck together!"

The was a shuddering intake of breath from the corner where Quinn sat and they looked over to see Kurt on the arm on her chair, gasping to breath before he spoke through his tears.

"I'm so s-s-s-sorry." Kurt stammered "This is all my fault. I should never have run off to take a sh-shower or listened to my music. If you h-h-hadn't gone looking for me Sugar would be fine. I'm so s-"

"Kurt!" Quinn and Blaine said at the same time, Quinn squeezing his leg as Blaine fell to his knees in front of him.

"This is not your fault." Blaine said firmly, taking both of Kurt's hand in his own before kissing the palms.

"He's right." Quinn added, putting an arm around Kurt and drawing his shuddering form closer to her own, looking motherly. "The killer just took advantage of the situation."

Emma stood slowly and checked the clock. She looked over the tormented children and decided to try and restore some order.

"Look I really think we should all get you to bed." She said. "It's 8 o'clock and I know it'll take some of you a while to get ready. An early night and lots of sleep should help you feel a bit calmer. And maybe in the morning we can talk about this and see if we can work out another way out of here."

They looked stunned, but a little comforted by her motherly attitude. None of them remembered that they hadn't had dinner yet.

Blaine was the first to move, taking Kurt away to finish combing his hair in the hope that the normality of this job would calm him a little. He lightly massaged his shoulders as Kurt went out the door ahead of him. Puck moved over to take their place and whisper some comfort to Quinn, who seemed exhausted.

The rest of the girls walked off down their corridor, and Mercedes paused last so that Quinn could catch up with her. At Quinn's departure, Puck went to wheel Artie through and guys started worrying in low voices about what they'd all do next as they followed.

Finally just Will and Emma were left behind.

"Goodnight Will." Emma said. "I guess I'll go and… sleep."

He didn't miss the hesitation in her voice. "If you don't want to sleep alone…"

"Could I?" She asked, knowing what he was offering.

"Of course,"

"You don't think the kids will think we're…" Emma blushed as she let the sentence trail off.

"No. Not tonight." Will told her. So Emma moved his things to Will's room, much too scared to sleep alone tonight. Not after what happened to Sugar.

* * *

Any theories about the killer's identity now? Keep reviewing and telling me what pairings you like!


	8. Day Two

__Here you go! Thanks to all the reviewers. I've seen the demand for some Quick and don't worry, it'll begin weaving it's way into the story. Enjoy!

* * *

_Kurt's alive. That's- that's what I should focus on. Not that there's been another death._

_Shit. This is… shit. I'm glad Blaine and Kurt are alright. I didn't really know Sugar that well- not that it makes it less awful. Everyone's so upset about it. Quinn and Brittany especially, I had no idea they were so close._

_No no no no no no no I can't take this for much longer_

_Sugar? Sugar and Joe? This makes no sense. Why kill them?_

_I'm so scared. _

_That was even worse. Even worse than ever. How do I stay tough if everyone…?_

_Why can I not just work this out? My head's spinning from the possibilities. _

_This will be fine. I can get through this if I just try really hard to keep focus… I can't do this._

_I have to work this out. I'm supposed to be logical! I can't help but feel guilty for not having solved this yet._

_How can it be any of them? I was watching them. Their reactions. They were devastated. So who could it be? Oh gosh, this is all my fault._

_Another one… gone. I feel like I could cry forever._

_Sugar. She was so young. She was so… Sugar. _

_I almost lost Kurt today. I've got to keep it together. I could lose anyone out here. _

_I can't breathe. Today was so overwhelming. This is all my fault. _

_Oh dear, so trusting. Poor dumb fools. Splitting up to search just like I planned. Hearing only the patter of the shower and not listening for more sound as they panicked. Just like I planned. Not waiting longer outside the bathroom. Just like I planned. Well, it seems they might just follow all of my plans… right to the end._

…

Waking up was awful. Each pair in their separate rooms seemed to wake at the same time, and have a moment of pause as they remembered everything that had happened.

"Blaine, are you okay?" Brittany asked as the young man let out a soft sigh of sadness.

"I'm alright." Blaine replied. "What about you?"

"I'm not _all _right." Brittany said thoughtfully. "Most of me hurts. And last night there was a cat in here and it gave me a fright but I'm okay now. I thought it might kill me but it didn't. I don't really want to die."

Blaine smiled slightly, saddened by her words, but amused by her comment about the cat. "A cat?"

"Yeah, it sort of walked in the door and I saw its huge eyes and then it left again." Brittany said. She stood up from the bed and immediately pulled her pyjama top over her head to reveal her pink patterned bra. Blaine coughed awkwardly and looked the other way as Brittany put on her clothes for that day. She had no boundaries at all.

"Are you sure it was a cat?" Blaine asked, quickly scanning the room in case there was a note or something. Something the killer might have left overnight. He couldn't see anything.

"I'm fairly sure." Brittany said. "It was pretty high up, like a floating cat, but when I asked if it was a cat it said it was, so it must have been."

She was changed into her clothes now, and looking expectantly at Blaine. Blaine was confused. A dream? Or a person in their room at night? Because if the cat had been 'floating' it would have been at the height of a human head.

"Cats can talk?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course they can." Brittany laughed at him. "So are you getting changed or what? Breakfast is probably almost ready."

Blaine pulled off his top and swapped it before shuffling awkwardly. Brittany was still watching him. He didn't really want to get down to his underwear with her watching him.

"Um, Britt?"

"Oh right!" Brittany turned around "I forgot some people went shy. And I know you're gay, so you probably don't know how it feels to_ not_ check out a guy. But I won't check you out. I'll look at my suitcase."

Blaine chuckled and quickly grabbed a pair of pants for the day. Brittany's logic made no sense, but he really liked her kind attitude.

…

In the room next door Finn and Puck woke in their beds and lay still for a while. Each was aware that the other was awake, somehow sensing it through the bond that lasted despite all the troubles they'd had.

"So," Finn finally said "You're ready to protect her no matter what, aren't you?"

"What?" Puck asked, trying to seem like he was confused by Finn's question.

"I saw how worried you were when you saw Quinn's face after we found Sugar's body." Finn continued. "You obviously wanted to just go and hug her."

Puck snorted "Snappy, Finn. Don't project your feelings about Rachel onto me. Just because you feel that way about some chick doesn't mean I feel that way about anyone."

"Puck, just be straight with me." Finn sat up and turned to face Puck, one eyebrow raised.

"I _am._" Puck insisted. "I don't like Quinn! Leave me alone about it okay."

Finn laughed. "You're blushing. I've never seen you _really_ blush."

"Shut up, Hudson." Finn snapped, but this time he seemed more resigned to the fact that Finn would worm the truth out of him.

"I get it, man." Finn assured him. "I won't tell anyone. I was just curious."

Puck nodded and sat up properly as well, swinging his legs over the side of his bed so he and Finn were face to face.

"And you're the only one who gets how it is with Rachel. You get why I put with her shit all the time. Because I love her. And everyone teases me for it because she's quite sharp a lot of the time. But when you do it I can tell you get how I feel bro. You don't really dislike Rachel."

"She kind of grew on me back in my first year of glee club." Puck admitted. "Something about that fiery little Jew,"

Finn nodded his agreement and Puck continued "You know I don't really think Rachel's the killer either. Even though I thought it was odd she was blaming us all. I don't think she was really covering up her crimes or anything."

"Good, because she's no the killer. And I'm cool with helping you and protecting Quinn. You know I love her too." Puck's eyes narrowed and Finn quickly amended "Not the way I love Rachel, not anymore. I love her though. Like a sister almost. I trust her not to be… killing people."

"Good," Puck said. "Because as awful as Rachel is, you know Quinn likes her too. So we're a team?"

"Yeah," Finn said, smiling. He had pushed aside thoughts of how Rachel _actually suspected_ Puck. Rachel would come around. He just had to talk to her. She'd be happy to become a team with Quinn, Puck and Finn himself. "We're a team."

Puck reached out a fist and they bumped theirs together, sealing the deal.

…

Mike and Sam got changed in silence, both feeling the pain that hung in the air and didn't want to draw attention to it. But then they looked at each other and sat down on their own beds and sighed.

"This sucks." Mike finally said.

"I know. And even worse than our friends who have already died- if anything can be worse than that- is the fact that anyone else might die too. And- and the fact that another of our friends is doing the killing." Sam said.

Mike groaned "I _wish _I could work it out."

"You and me both, man." Artie said from the other bed, making the other two jump. They hadn't realised he was awake. He was staring at the ceiling. "I was awake half the night thinking about it."

"I would try work it out too," Sam said "But I'm not so smart with stuff like that. I'm more focused on protecting who we have now. I wish I could think about the clues and put it all together, but I tried and I almost can't bear to think about it. I dunno, I just can't see anyone killing anyone."

"That doesn't matter, Sam." Artie said, seeing how guilty Sam looked. He was just so straight-forward with his intentions; he couldn't see corruption in other people. Artie liked that about Sam. He was almost jealous of his carefree personality.

"Yeah well, I don't think I'll be able to rest properly until I work this one out." Mike confessed. "It seems like there should at least be _clues. _I mean this kid's in _High School_. Surely they'd leave some evidence. You know, slip up somewhere."

Sam shrugged. "You and Artie are really smart, I'm sure you'll work something out."

"I hate the pressure though. Even Tina seems to think me and Artie will have to work it out and-"

"I didn't mean that!" Sam interrupted. "I didn't mean to _pressure_ you. I just wanted to encourage-"

"It's fine." Mike assured him. "You didn't do anything. It's personal pressure as much as anything."

Sam still looked unsure "Don't lose too much sleep. We'll need all us football guys if it comes to a confrontation."

"Don't worry about me, Sam." Mike said.

"Can't help it; you're my friend." Sam told him.

There was a moment of pause before Mike stood. He looked around the room, at the friend who, like him, wanted to solve the problem, and at the friend who wanted to deal with things as they came. They both handled things in very different ways, and he'd need both of them on his side if he and Tina were getting out of this situation alive. He needed his friends. He needed to trust them even if he wasn't sure he _should. _Finally Mike spoke.

"Well," Mike began "I suppose…" Sam's tummy rumbled loudly halfway through Mike's sentence, making him smile as he finished it. "Breakfast?"

They laughed lightly, breaking some of the tension.

"Breakfast," Sam agreed, and moved to help Artie.

…

Across the Hall in the first room of the girl's corridor Santana woke to find he bed very warm. She smiled and curled closer to the source of the warmth before freezing. It didn't smell like Brittany, who would be the only one she'd cuddle. It smelt like-

"Damn Hummel," Santana said, craning her neck back a bit to take in the ruffled mop of hair that was usually perfectly styled. He was curled into her side, a slight smile on his face. "I forgot about last night."

The source of her warmth woke at the sound of her voice and pulled away, cheeks flushing as soon as he noticed her proximity.

"I'm so sorry Santana!" Kurt said abruptly, looking around and realising he's somehow ended up in the cheerleader's bed. "I have _no_ idea what I was-"

"It's fine," Santana assured him. There was a softness to her features that Kurt had only ever seen when she spoke to Brittany. It was almost… motherly? "You didn't know what you were doing."

"What was I-" The blush has still not faded from Kurt's cheeks. He wasn't particularly fond of displays of extravagant affection. And though he and Santana were close enough, cuddling in her bed was a different matter.

"It was at about 2 in the morning. You woke me because you were having a nightmare, I think. You were whimpering and calling desperately for Blaine, then begging someone not to kill him." Santana explained as she began raking her finger through her hair and tying it up. "So I sort of called out to you and you sat straight up in bed and went 'Santana?' and then you walked over here, still half asleep and stumbling and told me you were scared. So I let you come have a cuddle. I hope you don't think I'm creepy; I _was_ trying to get you to shut up. But at least you didn't have any more bad dreams after you were with me. You're pretty cute, I'll admit."

Kurt looked even more embarrassed. He was used to being strong and not showing weakness. Even in his second year of glee club when his father had been in hospital, he'd remained outwardly calm as much as he could. Yet lately he'd been crying in front of everyone, breaking down, and now cuddling Santana in the middle of the night.

"And Kurt?" Santana asked. She seemed on the edge of telling him something. "Don't tell anyone, but I was happy to cuddle you."

"What?" Kurt asked, incredulous that Santana was confessing something like this.

"I was scared too." She explained. "And it was nice, just to have company- and warmth. I don't like the thought of a killer wandering around. I'm not _as_ tough as everyone thinks. I may be a bitch, but I'm not heartless. Well, not all the time. And a little cuddle was nice."

Kurt smiled at her, smirking ever-so-slightly. "Well, you are _human_. As hard as it is to believe."

"Har har. You're really funny, Hummel." Santana rolled her eyes. "But we don't tell _anyone_ about this. Okay?"

"Of course not!" Kurt yelped, blushing again.

"Cool," Santana got up and started getting changed, rolling her eyes again at the sight of Kurt standing over his many suitcases and considering possibilities of clothes he might wear.

He glanced up at Santana and snorted, pointing at her jacket. "I wouldn't wear that. Wear you purple one. It goes a lot better with-"

"Don't push it, Elfling." Santana snapped "Just because we had a little heart to heart does _not _mean you get to change my wardrobe."

"Whatever. Look mismatched then." Kurt said disdainfully, turned back to his suitcase with a look of annoyance.

As soon as his back was turned Santana grabbed her purple jacket and made for the door.

"If you're taking ages, I'm off to have a shower." Santana told him. Kurt just nodded absently, spreading two shirts on the bed and beginning to consider the pants that might match each one. He liked Santana. He'd never admit it, but he liked her. She was a good friend.

…

_Beep beep beep beep! _Rachel's alarm went off. Having trained herself long ago to wake quickly and easily, Rachel sat straight up and pulled off the mask that covered her eyes.

"Quinn?" Rachel said as soon as she'd turned the alarm off. "Are you up yet?"

"Now I am," Quinn grumbled, pulling herself upright and leaning on her elbows.

"We need to talk. I know last night we were tired but I want to talk to you about this. I value your friendship and I want to know what _you_ think." Rachel was talking way too fast for (Quinn rolled over and checked the time on the alarm clock) seven in the morning.

"What's there to think? We're all screwed. Two of my close friends are dead." Quinn said, sounding almost numb.

"But I mean, _who _do you think it is?" Rachel asked. She was sitting up and watching Quinn with concerned eyes.

"I think it's you, Berry." Quinn said, but the sarcasm was lost of Rachel, who looked heart-broken.

"What?" Rachel asked, tears already springing to her eyes. "Quinn, I would never-"

"Sarcasm, Rachel," Quinn groaned, trying to sit up.

"Oh," Rachel's eyes were wet with tears, but she smiled uncertainly at Quinn.

"I don't care who it is." Quinn told her. She brushed her hair back and turned around to begin searching in the bag at the end of her bed, still lying on the bed itself. "We won't work it out any time soon, so what's the point of stressing out over it?"

"Well, I don't want to _die_." Rachel said obviously.

"Nor do I," Quinn said. "I'm going fight back if it's _me _they're killing, or if I can do _anything_ about it. But I'm not going around accusing anyone."

"Well…" Rachel looks hesitant. "I think it's Noah."

Quinn splutters and jerks upright so abruptly that she gets a crick in her neck.

"Puck?" She asks, rubbing her neck and trying to stretch it out.

"Yes," Rachel says, sitting down again "He has no problem breaking the law. He was a bully for a long time. And he has the most motivation."

"The motivation being?" Quinn asks.

"You,"

"Okay, you really are nuts. Just when I was starting to like you," Quinn rolls her eyes.

"I really do think it's Puck." Rachel said again, reaching out to Quinn. The blonde flinched slightly, but let Rachel lay a hand on her knee. "Please just don't trust him fully."

"He knocked me up, remember?" Quinn said "I'm not going to trust him fully."

Rachel pulled back and Quinn reached down into her bag again.

"Now there's only three showers in our bathroom so I'm off to grab one before anyone else does." Quinn said, pulling out some clothes for the day, and a bag with her toiletries.

…

The beeping of Rachel's alarm didn't only wake her own cabin. She'd been sleeping against the wall closest to Tina and Mercedes, so the sound carried to them as well. As they woke, annoyed, they heard the loud sound cut off and realised that Rachel was the culprit.

"That girl," Tina groaned, rolling over and trying to open her eyes.

Mercedes just grunted, still trying to get back to sleep. She wanted to forget the waking world for as long as she could. Tina, on the other hand, had never been able to fall back to sleep once she'd woken up, so she began to scramble in her bag to find clothes for the day, talking as she did so.

"Can you believe it's only been a day since we first arrived and Joe... died? It seemed like forever ago. We have five more days before the boat comes over with Tom to check on us and bring supplies for another week. So we just have to hold out until then. I think we can manage it. The club will just stay together and if no one goes off alone no one can die." Tina just let her thoughts pour out, and Mercedes slowly sat up as she listened. Mercedes is one of few people Tina really gets to talk to properly, rather than being pushed into the background.

"_If_ everyone stays together," Mercedes said sceptically when Tina pauses to look at her.

"Why wouldn't they?" Tina scoffed, waving off the idea.

"The killer's pretty cunning." Mercedes said seriously. "They could easily split us again. They know us pretty well, having been in the Glee Club with us all this time. They knew we'd split to look for Kurt."

A shiver went through Tina and her face crumpled. This woke Mercedes up properly, and she moved to hug her friend. Tina cried into her shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Tina." Mercedes whispered. "We're going to get out of here."

But they both knew it wasn't true.

…

Will and Emma woke in separate beds, and Will turned over to watch her for a few moments before speaking. She didn't seem to want to look at him in return, so he started the conversation.

"What are we going to do, Emma?" He asked. There was tension all through her at the sound of his voice, and she clenched her teeth before answering.

"First you can stop being so pathetic." Emma said. Her voice shook a little, not used to being so brave. But in this case she _was_ willing to be strong.

"What?" Will was astonished at the sudden attack.

"You know what I'm talking about Will." Emma sat up and turned to face him. "You know perfectly well what I'm referring to."

"I don't-"

"I'll spell it out for you then." Emma snapped. "You've been moping around ever since Joe died. You're drowning in _self-pity_ and it's disgusting to see when _this is no longer about you!"_

Her voice was a hiss as she tried to keep it at a volume the children wouldn't overhear. She was trying not to cry though. She loved Will, and hated having to tell him off like this. But it was _necessary._ For the sake of the kids.

"I know you feel hopeless, seeing as they're all the kids you love so much, yet knowing that one of them in lying to you completely. I know it's _hard_, Will. You don't think I feel the same way?" With a flick of ginger hair she leapt up and began throwing things from her bag onto the bed, not wanting to meet Will's eyes. "But this act of yours is just stupid. You're too busy sitting there and mulling over your own feelings that you can't take the steps to make the kids feels safe. I'm trying my best, comforting them, but I could use a little help. Last night, when Quinn broke down, you just looked at her blankly and left me to deal with her as well and trying to comfort everyone else. I went to every room last night to say goodnight to the kids and make sure they were fine, and you sat here and cried. Grow up, Will."

Emma had chosen an outfit and whirled around again. "I'm getting dressed and then helping the kids out. You better make a choice between yourself or these kids, because I won't put up with you much longer."

And with that she slammed the door behind her, shaking at the emotions running through her. Will sat on the bed and buried his head in his hands. Emma didn't understand. He couldn't protect them from themselves. He didn't know _how_. Emma didn't get how hard it was for _him_…

* * *

So I hope you were pleased with the Quick, that will become a bigger part of this as the story goes on, I promise. Yeah, and about the thing with Mr Schue, I just think he'd have a problem wit not being able to keep it together in this sort of situation, and need Emma to pull him back to being himself again. Please keep reviewing! I love you all!


	9. Snow White

The last chapter before a month long holiday with no Internet. I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting. Anyway, enjoy another death!

* * *

The club sat around the breakfast table. They each had paper and pen in hand. They had gathered for breakfast, but Artie stopped them before they ate and told them there was something they had to do. He had explained that it was time to compare the handwriting of the killer's note with each member of the New Directions. Artie read the first sentence of the letter aloud, and they began to write.

"Right," he said, "Time to check,"

As he spoke, they stood and lined each small strip of paper in a row of the table. Above them, Santana put the letter from the killer down, and smoothed it out.

"_Once upon a time there was a little girl who always wore a long red cloak."_

The same words were repeated over and over again. On every strip of paper. As soon as they were there Artie and Mike had leaned over to scan each one. The other members crowded in behind, making sure they could all see for themselves.

First they lifted Santana's writing to compare. Her script was sloped and rounded, with flicking ends, and she pressed hard with the pen. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Mercedes was next. Her writing was flamboyant and slightly messy, she dotted her 'i's with hearts. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Puck's writing was a barely readable tightly scrawled mess. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Finn wasn't much better, but it was spiky and could just be deciphered, though the spelling was awful. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Artie's was rather square, but with larger spaces and very unique turns to his 'd's, 'p's and 'g's. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Tina's was tiny and rounded and sat above the line rather than on it. The killer's was square, straight and even

Kurt's was curled and full of flair with swooping 'k's and 'o's that curled in with loops. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Brittany's writing seemed shaky without her usual crayon. She spelled awfully and her letters were large and round. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Rachel's writing was smaller than the killer's, and curled into fine little letters with flicking tails. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Blaine had oddly elegant lettering with curled corners, as if he'd been taught handwriting at Dalton. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Quinn's was also small and curled, but she pressed down hard on the paper. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Sam's writing was a scrawl of loose letters. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Mike's was neat, thin and tall. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Will's was large and plain, without any defining features. The killer's was square, straight and even.

Emma's, the last piece of paper, was in curly, round, bubble-like letters. The killer's was square, straight and even.

There was no one left.

Artie put the last paper back on the desk. Then he scanned them all again. Nothing matched. None of them were the same.

"What?" Mike said. "Why?"

"Well obviously the killer wouldn't use their real handwriting." Quinn finally answered. "That would be stupid."

"Yeah," Artie agreed. "You're right."

He looked back across all the papers. It was painfully obvious that they wouldn't find the killer this way. In fact, as Artie looked he could see the one that actually seemed the best match was his own writing. Artie's writing matched the killer's the best. Artie was almost afraid people would notice. He wouldn't want anyone suspecting him. As he looked behind him he saw that everyone's eyes were still on the scraps.

"Well that's a pity." He quickly swept the papers towards himself and crumpled them in his hands. "We'll have to try something else."

The Glee Club watched as he wheeled to the bin and tossed the papers inside. They continued to watch him as he turned around, and Artie felt his face grow hot. His handwriting had been too similar to the words on the letter. This was bad. This was really bad.

…

"Okay," Emma said after everyone had eaten breakfast. She shot a stern look at Will, who was staring into his empty cereal bowl, looking sad. "I think today would be a good day to continue with the plan we had for our first day. We were going to climb to the top of the hill. Go on a little tramp. Won't that be fun?"

They looked very confused.

"Why?" Mercedes asked finally.

"Well, because it will give us something to do, and it'll get us moving but let us stay together at the same time. Like I said, we already had the climb planned. We were just... distracted." Emma told them. "There's even a special raised wooden path that Artie's chair can get up. That's why Will chose this island as our camping spot."

"It sounds good." Artie said with a small smile.

"Will we have any stops on the way up?" Kurt asked, "Food? Water? Toilet breaks? I don't think all of us can walk up a mountain without a bit of a break between miles."

"Of course, Kurt. We can pause for a lunch break and a couple of other planned stops, and whenever someone needs to go to the toilet and we will all wait in sight of each other until they get back. I don't want anyone separated." Emma assured him.

The kids looked at Will for a confirmation of the plan, but Will was staring at Emma now, oblivious to their need for his assurance.

"It's okay kids," Emma smiled at them. "We'll get our things ready. Everyone can make their own lunch from the kitchen and we'll meet outside with good shoes in half an hour. Sound good?"

The Glee Club turned their attention to Emma. Will felt a little hurt as he saw the way they seemed to disregard him. They nodded and split their separate ways. When they had questions as they got ready, none of them came to him for the answers. They asked Ms Pillsbury. Emma was kind and patient and happy to help. Though she spent the whole time scrubbing the sides of her tramping boots with a toothbrush, she didn't seem weak or hopeless. She was trained in how to deal with traumatised kids, and it was paying off. She had them completely organised and even a little relaxed. If Will had felt useless because he couldn't protect them from the killer, or because he was too much of a coward to work out who the killer might be, it was nothing compared to the way he felt now. Did they really need him at all?

…

The tramp began almost cheerfully. The group was feeling better after the careful way Emma had taken charge. It was refreshing and comforting for them to let an adult handle their problems. As independent as they tried to be sometimes, they were still young. They needed guidance. The group walked together. When usually some of the faster people would have been frustrated by the slower, they were willing to walk at their speed today.

"I almost feel like singing again." Rachel said happily. She was wedged in between Kurt and Finn, tugging on their arms as she walked. There was a small silence as each person considered their feelings on the matter.

"It is weird that you haven't sung for a couple days," Santana agreed "I didn't think it was possible for you to hold back that long."

Rachel shrugged. "Before it seemed disrespectful. But now I think about it, both Sugar and Joe would really feel bad if they knew they'd caused any of us to stop singing. Wouldn't they rather we were happy?"

"I agree," Kurt said. "And it would be nice to sing a goodbye of sorts."

Almost as soon as Kurt finished speaking Blaine began to hum beside him. A song built and people joined in as the recognised it, harmonising as best they could while making it up on the spot.

After the song ended, Rachel began another. And as they walked through the trees and up the path they continued singing until they all felt that the proper goodbyes had been said. Silence echoed and everyone took a moment just to think. It was as if tension had been lifted by saying goodbye. Some, like Quinn were still crying, but they were also smiling.

"Man that was cool," Puck said. The tension and sadness broke with laughter. Rachel turned on Puck with a mock glare.

"Way to ruin the mood, Noah," She scolded, but he could tell she was kidding.

"Well it was less rude than if I'd told you all I need to go and pee." Puck retorted.

Rachel scoffed and made everyone laugh again

"I really do need to though." Puck said again, turning to Miss Pillsbury. Will looked left-out, but the Club barely noticed.

Emma smiled at him and nodded. "Yes Puck, the clearing's just up ahead anyway. I'll take Artie's chair while you go. Don't stray out of view of the wooden path!"

Puck handed the chair over and jogged some way into the trees. The club slowly moved ten or so metres to where the path opened to a grassy clearing with a weathered picnic bench. By the time Puck joined them, they had already laid out the picnic mats and brought out their lunches. They were eating and talking as if everything was normal. Puck grinned and took a seat beside Quinn, unable to keep himself from staring at the way her blonde hair caught the light. He realised how sappy this was after a moment and tore his eyes away.

Puck looked fondly at where Kurt and Blaine were splitting a sandwich and then past them to Artie, who had just said something that made Sam and Mercedes laugh uproariously. As Sam did so, he accidently kicked Mike, and the boy retaliated by throwing a bit of tomato at him. As Tina giggled Mercedes laughter grew so loud that she drew the attention of everyone else. Sam looked like a startled puppy, with the tomato slowly sliding down his face.

"You see Rachel," Quinn whispered to the chortling girl on her other side. Quinn was watching Puck in contemplation. She was the only one not watching the struggle between Sam and Mike. Rachel turned to face her and followed her line of sight to Puck. He hadn't noticed their regard. "_This_ is how I know he's not the killer."

"How?" Rachel whispered back. She turned to look at Puck as well.

"Look how he looks at them." Quinn pressed. "The pure devotion in his eyes. He loves them, even if he'd never admit it. He loves every one of us like we're family."

Rachel couldn't help but think Quinn was right. She shrugged uncertainly and continued to stare as Puck cheered on Mike in the brief squabble occurring beside Artie's chair. She was beginning to get the feeling she was wrong about Puck. But who else could it be? And who was to say Puck wasn't just a really good actor. Rachel didn't want to let Puck convince her that he was innocent.

"Quinn, I-"

"Quinn can you pass me a sandwich?" Puck asked, reaching a hand out without looking over at them.

Quinn broke away from her almost-silent chat with Rachel. She saw Puck's waiting hand and quickly hissed. "You know I'm right, I can see it in your eyes," to Rachel. Then she stretched across to reach the bag in front of her that was out of Puck's reach. She turned back to Puck and placed the sandwich in his hand. Rachel was forgotten. He was looking at her now, a grin on his face.

"Watch this," He encouraged as he opened the top and pulled out slices of tomato. Sam and Mike had settled again, still chuckling. Puck took careful aim and then launched the tomato slices so that they hit Mike in the back of the head.

"That's it!" Mike called as he leapt up. He immediately assumed it was Sam, making Puck smirk at Quinn. "You're going down, Evans!"

Sam looked startled as Mike leapt at him and tried to pin him down. He wriggled and squirmed, but with a final triumphant cry, Mike smooshed his half-eaten sandwich into Sam's hair.

"Mike! That's disgusting." Everyone laughed at Kurt's protests.

Mike rocked back on his heels, smiling. He settled an arm around Tina again as Sam stood and shook his head like a wet dog. Mercedes pulled Sam towards her before her could launch a counter-attack.

"Kurt's right, that's gross." Mercedes' nose was screwed up is distaste as she pulled Sam towards her. But then she began to pull out bits of bread and filling from Sam's hair. Sam's body relaxed and he lay back in her arms with a contented hum.

"Gross," Santana agreed, but this time she seemed to be referring to the obviously smitten way the two 'friends' were behaving. Everyone laughed, but the comment went right over Mercedes' and Sam's heads.

"I am the ultimate match-maker." Puck said happily to Quinn as he leaned back.

"Don't give yourself too much credit. Or even pretend that's what you planned to happen." Quinn scoffed.

"Oh come on blondie," Puck joked "You know I'm fantastic, just admit it."

"Sure, Puckerman," Quinn's voice was layered with sarcasm.

"Seriously, if it wasn't for me, Kurt would never have gone to spy on Blaine. I have match-making _skills._" He insisted

Quinn threw her sandwich at his smug face and those near enough to notice laughed.

The lunch break was settling into a wonderfully relaxed affair. The playful banter continued until all the sandwiches were gone and people began to eat the fruit and baking they'd brought along too.

"Want an apple, Tina?" Blaine asked, as he saw her searching through a bag in front of her. It had plenty of other fruit, but no apples. He figured she was looking for one.

Tina looked up and grinned. "Sure!"

Blaine grabbed the apple on the top of the nearest bag and threw it across the circle. Like a bright red rocket in flew into Tina's outstretched hands. A few eyes followed its path and then returned to their own food. Tina rubbing the apple briefly on her sleeve and settled back beside Mike to eat it.

Brittany was saying something, waving her arms in the air. Tina laughed loudly with the at the daft theory she was explaining. Her face scrunched with her giggles as she tipped forward. But rather than opening her eyes again, the chuffing laughter continued. Tina was leaning forward even more as she did so. She continued to lean. Too far. Her expression hadn't changed, but the noises sounded more like choking now. The laughter had stopped as people noticed there was something wrong. Tina let out a gargled moan. She was now flopped right forward. Beside her, Mike looked a little panicked. He tried to pull her upright, and she straightened. Her eyes were closed though. Mike shook her gently. Her mouth suddenly dropped open in surprise and her eyes flew open to meet Mike's.

"Oh," Tina whispered. Then the life went out of her body and she slumped over backwards, her arms falling limply to her sides, her mouth slack. She lay unmoving on the ground.

The fingers of her right hand unfurled. With a dull thud the apple in her hand dropped to the ground and rolled a little before it stopped. The skin of the apple was bright red, the inside was pale.

The scene was easily recognisable. Tina's pale skin, her dark hair spread beneath her, the apple in her hand.

Snow White.

It took a beat of a moment for all of them to realise it. And then a strangled yell escaped Mike's throat as he fell to his knees beside her.

Though most of them were frozen in shock, some still turning to see what was going on, Mike was a whirlwind of movement. He was one of those people who dealt with shock and terror by performing simple tasks and trying to think past the screaming deep inside himself. He acted logically, rather than becoming irrational, because he knew that if he didn't, he would fall apart entirely. He would now carry out basic safety procedures to make sure Tina was okay when she woke up. She would wake up.

"Tina," he whispered. There was no answer. He placed a hand on her and could feel no movement of breath. He brushed the hand over her lips, and no whisper of air touched his fingers there either. He reached for her wrists and felt for her pulse. There was nothing. He tried her neck, searching for a pulse there too. There was nothing. He pulled up her eyelids and her eyes continued to stare without seeing. All these signs meant one thing. She was dead.

But Mike wouldn't let that happen.

Mike heard the sounds of the Glee Club around him. He heard Mr Schue push forward and ask him to stand up. He heard but he didn't comprehend.

Instead her put his hands in exactly the right place and carefully pumped her chest. CPR would save her. He knew it. He pumped and pumped, unable to see through his tears.

Everyone was yelling, talking. He could hear someone very close who merely screamed Tina's name over and over, but he didn't realise this was coming from his own mouth until he closed it when he leaned down.

The shock of realising he'd been screaming only stopped him for a second. He had to perform mouth to mouth. As he pinched Tina's nose and pulled her mouth open, a hand jerked him backwards. Mike swung a fist back and it collided with someone. He leaned in again, but more hands grabbed him. They were stronger this time. Mike couldn't break free.

They kept him away from her. Tina needed him and they were holding him back. The screaming was back, and this time he knew it was him but didn't know how to stop it. He struggled.

"Mike, stop," The words made no sense to him. The voice should have been familiar. But the only thing he remembered was Tina's name. The only thing he knew how to do was try to save her.

And suddenly he was angry. He was blindly furious. He had to save Tina and they _wouldn't let him. _

Mike kicked and flung a fist backwards. He hit home and heard the startled "oof," But then someone was in front of him. Blonde hair with food all through it blocked his view of Tina. Behind him a head that was bald other than one stripe of mohawked hair brushed his left ear as the man's grip tightened. Both guys were talking. Someone tall then joined, helping pull him back. It was the first time he'd seen a face. He numbly recognised Finn, but he was so angry he didn't care. Finn may as well have been the killer. He _could_ have been.

Mike lashed again, and was shocked to find his arms wrenched behind his body and held there. His knees gave way as someone else ducked and tugged them out from under him. He was on the ground then and pinned by five strong boys. The one who'd knocked him down had gelled hair. Mike was staring at Tina, at her mouth, still open for the air he would give her.

It struck Mike as almost ironic. True love's kiss for his Snow White. Really it was just a basic medical technique. Mouth to mouth was just the way of breathing air back into Tina again. But it still rang true for Mike. His 'kiss' would save her. He'd save his true love.

The blind rage was ebbing now that he could see her again. Someone was still holding him down, though his struggles were weak. He realised there was someone talking. He strained to work out what they were saying.

"Snow White… killer… poison… apple…" He heard the words as if through thick glass. Or water. But finally he understood. He looked at the apple in Tina's hand. Poison meant they wouldn't risk letting him breathe life back into her. He might be poisoned too.

It hit Mike so suddenly he felt sick.

Life wasn't a fairytale. 'True love's kiss' wouldn't save her. Tina was dead. She had been poisoned and no matter how true his love was, Mike couldn't just kiss her and have her jolt back to life. If Mike tried he could soon be dead from the poison in her mouth.

Did he care about that? If Tina was dead, did he care about his own life? Wasn't it worth the risk?

"_One day you will be a famous dancer, Mike Chang." _Tina's voice echoed in his mind. _"Promise me you'll never give up on yourself."_

I promise.

Mike had promised. He had promised Tina he would never give up. And that included taking in poison on the unlikely gamble it might save her life. He wouldn't give Tina mouth to mouth. It wouldn't work anyway. She had been poisoned, rather than having something stuck in her wind pipe, or anything else that could have been quickly saved. The poison was in her bloodstream. The only thing that would have saved her would have been an anti-dote. And even if he _could_ have saved her with mouth to mouth at first, he couldn't anymore. She'd been gone too long.

How long _had_ she been gone. Seconds? Hours? Days?

Mike couldn't think. He stared at his princess and lost any remainder of strength.

She was beautiful. That was something he could still understand. Hair as black as ebony, lips as red as blood, skin as white as snow. The best princess.

His Snow White.

* * *

Don't forget to review. Also, when telling me what pairings you like you can include friendship you like seeing and stuff as well :) I'd love to hear more speculation on the killer. What do you think now?


	10. An Axe

I have internet for an hour so I've got time to upload this for you! Yay! Even more drama for you here. Enjoy!

* * *

_No way. Tina._

_This is going to kill Mike. He was fighting so hard I could feel the raw pain. _

_Will this never end? Tina? Really? _

_No. This can't be happening._

_I don't understand. _

_That was so sudden. How did they even plan that? And get the apple to the right person?_

_I couldn't help but notice that Blaine passed her the apple… But it can't be Blaine. Can it?_

_I have to get them back to the cabin. Now!_

_Tina Tina Tina Tina Tina Tina Tina Tina _

_This is all my fault. I'm the worst teacher ever._

_What? _

_But how could she die from that apple? Me and Rachel packed that bag. It was a normal apple. _

_But we didn't even get a fairy tale first._

_Oh lovely. The exact person I wanted dead next. I was a little worried it might kill someone else by mistake. I shouldn't have been concerned. My plans are flawless._

…

Their thoughts were reeling as Mike was pulled back and they all stood frozen, staring at the body, at Mike, and at each other. It was awful to see Tina sprawled before them. Dead in a heartbeat from some unknown poison.

"Is there a fairytale?" Artie asked. "Something written by the killer."

Immediately those closest to bags began to search. It didn't take long for Mercedes to shout. "Here we go!"

She pulled out the strip of paper and unfolded it. Carefully she began to read

"_Once Upon a Time there was a beautiful princess. Her skin was as white as snow, her hair as black as ebony, and her lips as red as blood. She was meek and mild and loved by all who lived in the Palace. All but one. Many things happened, leading to a defining moment in Snow White's life. This moment occurred one afternoon when she was in a cottage alone in the woods. _

_Snow White-"_

But here, Mercedes' unsteady and tear-filled voice broke. She couldn't go on. So Santana knelt beside her and squeezed her shoulder before taking the paper.

"_Snow White saw a person coming, but welcomed them as a friend. When they offered her a beautiful apple, she didn't hesitate to take it. But the moment the first bite of apple passed her rosy lips, she fell back as though she were dead..._

_Well, in your case she _is_ dead. Don't get your hopes up or anything. _

_Good luck finding me, by the way. It has been interesting to watch your struggles. The attempt to trace the handwriting was cute. Just a reminder, don't trust anyone. _

_Until next time, xoxo, the killer."_

Santana's voice began to shake as she read the direct message from the killer. But hers wasn't from withheld tears. It was from anger. She whipped her head up and glared collectively at the people around her.

"I hate you." She spat. They all flinched, though her eyes didn't rest on a particular person. "Whoever you are, I hate you."

There was a terse silence. Then Mike croaked "Tina," in a hoarse voice. Something about this spurred Emma into action. Again the side of her that had been trained for dealing with traumatised children leapt to the surface. She turned to Mike first. His heart-break meant he was the most venerable right now.

"Mike, stand up." She kept the commands simple and easy to follow, knowing Mike couldn't deal with much more right now.

"Look at us." He did as she said, looking stunned as he noticed the world around him. "We're going home."

"Tina?" He asked, looking back to his girlfriend.

"She'll be coming with Mr Schuester." Emma said. She shot a look at Will, who jumped at the sound of his name.

"Oh," He said. "Yes, I'll bring Tina."

"No," Mike said, seeming to come down to earth even more. "I'll bring Tina."

"Mike," Emma began, but there was a tenderness and determination in Mike's expression as he walked to kneel beside Tina again. Emma changed her mind mid-sentence. "Of course you can take her."

Mike carefully slid his strong arms under her body. He lifted her gently from the ground and cradled her against his chest. He looked like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold on their wedding night. He turned to the Glee Club.

"Let's go." He said steadily.

The Club shakily followed him and he started down the path. They carefully moved to form a perimeter around him and Tina, looking at them frequently. No one spoke. Mercedes, Kurt and Rachel each had a gentle hand on what parts of Tina they could reach.

…

When they arrived back at the cabin, all thoughts of climbing the mountain gone, people took seats in the main hall again. They sat numbly on couches. It was obvious now that their thoughts had turned away from Tina and on to the topic of the killer. Everyone's eyes darted around, quickly shifting away as they made eye contact with others.

Brittany was wrapped so tightly around Santana that you couldn't tell who the mass of arms and legs belonged to.

Rachel was in Finn's lap, his lips in her hair as his eyes followed hers with each turn of her head.

Mike's hands ran over the arms of the sofa and back again. Up and down. Up and down. Usually Tina's hand would reach out and still them, clasping his hands in her own. She wasn't there to do that anymore.

Kurt and Blaine were more subdued, but they were still close. Kurt's arm was around Blaine's shoulders, and Blaine's hand was on his leg. Every now and then they would look at each other and communicate with small twitches of their facial muscles or the tightening of their hands where they rested on each other.

Emma was sitting on the edge of her seat beside Will. He was running his hands though his hair as if he might rip it out.

Sam had wheeled Artie's chair in and now sat at his feet. Mercedes was beside Artie, holding his hand for support, and Sam leaned his head back to rest in on her knee.

Puck and Quinn shared a sofa. They were trying to look as if they didn't gravitate toward each other, but their arms still brushed and their knees touched. When a tear escaped Quinn and ran down her face, Puck reached to brush it away.

…

After a while people began to stand up and walk back and forth from the kitchen. Somehow they had reached dinner time. The walk down the mountain and the silent sitting in the Hall had lasted until 5.30. Though it was earlier than they would usually eat, most needed something to do. Quinn and Puck even cooked up some mince so people could make tacos and tortillas with the other ingredients they found in the cupboard.

After they ate they decided they wanted to go to bed early. Even if they just talked quietly and didn't sleep, they wanted to be in bed. They were just quite tired after the walk up the hill and the shock they had faced. Their bodies needed rest.

So people filed out their separate ways and went to their rooms, though Mercedes moved her things to Quinn and Rachel's room because she no longer had Tina to share with. Both Kurt and Brittany had to cross the main hall so that Brittany could go to the girls' bathroom and Kurt to the boys'.

…

Blaine had finished getting ready for bed, along with most of the other boys. He went back to his room and started digging through his bag for his book to read before bed. At the bottom of his bag, his finger brushed some crackly plastic.

Blaine was confused. He didn't remember packing anything plastic in his bag. He carefully pulled it out and found it was a large heavy shopping bag. After holding it in his hands for a moment Blaine still couldn't remember putting it in there at all. So Blaine opened it.

He couldn't quite make out what was inside.

Blaine pulled it out by its long wooden handle and stared at it. It was an axe. And not only that, but it was covered in dried blood.

Blaine turned it over in his hands. Why was there a blood stained axe in his bag? Blaine didn't have time to think on it before he was interrupted.

Suddenly the door clicked open and Brittany walked in.

"Hey Blaine are you-" She stopped without finishing her question the second she saw him with the axe.

Then she started screaming.

"Britt, it's okay. Please don't," Blaine said quickly. He tried to put the axe back into the bag and calm Brittany, but she just kept screaming and he was rather put off. As he fumbled with the bag, not wanting to touch the bloody end of the axe, more people were appearing in the doorway.

Santana was first, and she pulled Brittany back towards her at the sight of the axe in Blaine's hands. With a final shake of the bag he managed to get the axe inside. He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture and tried to step towards them.

"Don't even think about it." Santana growled. Behind her, Finn was standing numbly, staring at the bag. Someone else was trying to push through.

"What's happening?" People were asking in the hallway. Blaine noticed one voice above the others.

"Is Brittany okay? Is Blaine okay?" Kurt asked. He received no answer, so he yelled. "Blaine!"

"Kurt!" Blaine replied.

Then Kurt managed to shove through the barrier of their worried friends.

"Thank goodness you're not hurt!" Kurt gasped as soon as he saw Blaine. "You scared the life out of me, Blaine Anderson."

He tried to step towards him, but Santana's arm flew out and blocked his path.

"Don't go near him." She warned. Kurt's large blue eyes turned to meet Blaine's brown ones.

"What did he-" He started to ask.

"Blaine's been found with a murder weapon. I think it's the one that killed Sugar." Santana started to say. "It's the kind of thing he'd do, to add some irony to his bloody fairytale idea."

Kurt still looked confused.

"It's an axe." Santana elaborated. "Like the axe in Little Red Riding Hood. And since Sugar was hacked apart, I bet that's what he used."

"But Blaine isn't the killer." Kurt said, as if it was obvious. He tried to move toward Blaine again, but Santana jerked him backwards again.

"I think Kurt's right." Brittany said. Santana looked at her as if she were crazy.

"You _found_ him with the axe, Brittany." Santana said. "You screamed the place down."

"Yes, because I was surprised. But Blaine knew I'd be back in the room soon. Why would he take out the axe? Maybe someone planted it on him." Brittany's logic actually made sense for once.

"What's going on?" It seemed Ms Pillsbury had arrived on the scene. Finn quickly moved back from the doorway, shoving Puck out of the way as well. Emma entered the room as Santana moved Kurt and Brittany inside; still holding them back from where Blaine stood as pressing them against the opposite wall.

Blaine looked like a lost puppy. His entire face was laced with pain and desperation. He was still holding the plastic bag.

"It wasn't me." He choked. "It wasn't, Ms Pillsbury, please."

"I'm not accusing you, Blaine." Emma said. She was looking warily at the bag in his hands. "Can you please hold that open?"

Blaine did as she asked.

"It's not mine." He whispered again as she peered inside. Emma saw the dried blood and had to squeeze her eyes shut to collect herself again.

"Everyone gather in the Main Hall. William, I know you're out there, so come in and stop being so cowardly." Emma finally said.

The Glee Club moved quickly through to the Hall and Mr Schue pushed past them to the room. Only Santana, Brittany, Kurt and Blaine remained inside with Emma. Mr Schue didn't particularly want to face the idea that they might have found a killer.

"Blaine, give Will that bag please." Emma said. "Then the rest of you, go and sit in the Hall with the others. Me and Mr Schue need to talk for a moment."

Blaine left with the other three teenagers, but Santana wouldn't let Kurt go near him, no matter how much he tugged. She stood beside Blaine and watched him suspiciously out of the corner of her eye.

When they reached the Hall all of the suspicious and arguing whispers that had been happening without them immediately died down.

Blaine sat gingerly on an arm chair that was a little way away from the others. Santana tried to move Kurt and Brittany away to sit near their other friends, but the two of them finally broke free and went to sit beside Blaine. Brittany sat on the sofa beside him and Santana quickly joined, keeping Blaine in her line of sight. Kurt leaned a hand on either side of Blaine and stared into his eyes.

"Blaine, does that axe belong to you?" Kurt asked.

"No," Blaine's tone was pleading. Kurt stared at him for a moment.

"I believe you." He said. Then without further question he sat at Blaine's feet.

It was only then that the silence in the room became apparent. This pause was loaded with suspicion and panic. It was very unlike the earlier silence, which had contained a certain sense of companionship.

"Finn says you had an axe." Artie finally broke the silence.

"I wasn't his." Brittany said. "Kurt knows Blaine better than anyone and Kurt says he believes him."

"Kurt's in love with Blaine. He'd hardly want to think Blaine was killing people." Santana scoffed.

"I hope that if Kurt's safety was in danger, he would get over any love he had for that person and save himself. His life is more important than any of that." Blaine said softly.

"Whatever Blaine. Those are pretty words, but that doesn't mean we'll buy them." Santana snapped. "If you really are killing his friends, you obviously don't care about Kurt."

"Unless they're accomplices," Rachel said it sarcastically but people still glared at her.

"Shut up," Quinn said. "Kurt's not helping Blaine kill anyone. Blaine's probably not killing anyone. I don't think he's the killer."

"He _has_ known us all for the least amount of time. He's a new Glee Clubber. He doesn't have the same bonds." Santana was still watching Blaine. "And he's a charismatic guy, capable of fooling us."

"I still don't think it's Blaine. He's too smart to get caught with the axe." Sam spoke now.

"Wasn't that axe Puck's axe?" Rachel asked instead.

"What?" Puck asked.

"Mr Schue gave you an axe to cut firewood with. The morning before Sugar died. What if you used that and then dumped it on Blaine to throw us off your trail?" Rachel continued with her new theory.

Puck looked dumbfounded. She was seriously accusing him again? He thought Finn was going to make Rachel part of their team.

"Then again, the killer could also be Santana." Rachel contemplated. "She's pretty adamant in proving that it's Blaine."

"Why does that make me the killer?" Santana asked.

"Because you're framing Blaine. Maybe you planted the axe in his bag." Rachel replied.

"You've always been jealous of me, but isn't this taking it a little far?" Santana's lip curled as she looked at Rachel.

"This is not about me!" Rachel yelled.

"Maybe it is!" Santana shouted back. "You're awfully good at deflecting attention away from yourself all of a sudden! Since when did the world stop being all about Rachel Berry?"

"Shut _up_, Santana! I'm only trying to work out who the killer is, same as all of you!"

"And so am I! What if _I_ think you're the killer!" Santana snarled. She was so riled up she had leapt off the couch.

"So you don't think it's Blaine anymore?" Finn asked.

At the interruption of their argument Santana and Rachel seemed to realise where they were, and they shrank back a bit.

"Okay yes, I still think it's Blaine." Santana conceded.

"I hope you're going to apologise then." Rachel sniffed.

"That's it!" Santana yelled, leaping up from her seat and starting to fling herself at Rachel.

As the room erupted into commotion the door opened with a bang and Emma entered. The Club fell silent as she walked across the room with her head held high, and then took a seat on a spare armchair. Mr Schue entered shortly after and stood before them.

"So, New Directions," He said. "We need to sort out this situation. Blaine, I don't want to believe that you're killing people, but all evidence points to you right now."

"Actually, it doesn't," Artie said, wheeling forward a little and folding his hands in his lap as he made his case. "Blaine _was _found with the axe in his possession, so it could be him. The axe was one that you gave to Puck, meaning it could be him. If you'd heard Rachel and Santana yelling and accusing everyone you'd agree that it could be them. As for the rest of it, anyone could really have planted that axe and be pleased at how it's working out. There's something to incriminate anyone."

"True, but-" Will began.

"It's not fair to blame Blaine. Though keeping a close eye on him is a good idea." Artie said. "Everyone in a suspect. Everyone could be blamed. Well, except for me."

It had been added as an after though, but there was a low hiss in response.

"Why do you not count, Artie?" Rachel asked. "What makes you free of blame?"

Artie rolled his eyes.

"Really guys?" He gestured to his wheelchair. "You think _I _have been wondering around the forest out of your sight to kill people? Like I could manage that on my own,"

There was an awkward pause as everyone considered one possibility and disregarded it. Artie was right. There was no way he could really be killing people. Not in that wheelchair. Everyone sighed and turned away. Except for Rachel. Without thinking she voiced what everyone else had considered.

"What if you're faking?" She almost whispered it. "Do we have proof you need a wheelchair?"

"Rachel!" Quinn was the first to break the shocked silence that followed these words. "You can't just say things like that!"

"Do you think I would fake this?" Artie's voice was shaking. "You think I would _choose_ to spend every waking moment of my life stuck in this chair, or on my bed, or anywhere I have to be _lifted_ to? You think I'd willingly go through the daily _humiliation_ just to kill a bunch of people?"

Everyone was glaring at Rachel, though part of it was because they didn't want to look at Artie and see the pain in his face. They could hear his voice break as he began to cry.

"You think this isn't _terrifying _for me?" He continued. "To know that any day now the killer will go for me. And when they do, there's _nothing_ I can do about it. I can't _run_ if they find me when I'm out of my chair. And even in my chair it's so much easier for them to grab me than anyone else. That's why I have to find out who it is. I _have _to."

The silence that followed was heart-breakingly long. They could hear Artie trying to collect himself.

"I'm so sorry, Artie." Rachel said "I didn't think-"

"Yeah, that much is obvious." Quinn said, glaring at Rachel. "You aren't very good at stopping to think."

"Now, Quinn," Emma warned gently. "Don't be so hard on her."

Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Artie if you ever need to talk…" Emma began.

"I'm okay." Artie interrupted "I'm used to this."

Emma still looked sympathetic and worried.

"Please don't-" Artie shook his head "Don't feel sorry for me."

"Well," Mr Schue said after another small silence. "I think there's something else we should talk about too. Artie, we're going to respect you and give you equal treatment, so don't think this change is because of what you just said. I was already going to change things."

"What change? Sam interrupted, looking worried.

"You kids know there is a killer among us. Emma and I have been talking and we don't think that it's safe for there to be two children in every room. If the killer wanted to kill their own roommate, or someone else's, it would only be too easy to make the kill or place the blame. It's not a safe environment to have. So, because most rooms can sleep three or four if needed, we're combining people's room groups. So everyone has two or three roommates and no one is left alone."

"And some of you can just stay in the groups of three you already have. And then the rest can combine pairs to make groups of four. How does that sound?" Emma added.

"Sounds fine," Was the general agreement.

So Sam, Mike and Artie stayed together. Santana grabbed Blaine's upper arm in a grip so tight he yelped.

"Me, Britt and Kurt are sharing with this loser. That way I can keep an eye on him, because Kurt and Britt are going to be far too trusting without me." Santana announced, glaring at Blaine. "You have a problem with that, Gollum?"

Blaine shook his head, a little scared of Santana. It was almost funny that as he'd gone from friend to killer in her eyes, his nickname had changed from Hobbit to Gollum.

Mercedes, Rachel and Quinn were standing together and Puck and Finn were standing in front of them, looking baffled. They weren't sure how they'd arrange themselves.

"Well," Puck said. "If you ladies want, we can kick Finn out and have our own little room. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves just fine. We'll be 'Puckerman and his three fine females'."

He winked at them and Quinn hit him.

"What?" He protested.

"Why don't you girls take a room together and we can arrange for Puck and Finn to join Mike, Sam and Artie? We can manage five in the biggest room at the end." Emma suggested.

"Fine," Puck looked disgruntled. "But if you ever want me to join you ladies…"

Quinn hit him again and he shut up.

…

They found that they could fit one extra bed into the room Mike, Sam and Artie were in. It left _just_ enough room to wheel in Artie's chair, so all the bags were moved to Finn and Puck's old room. They all decided to move down the girl's corridor because there were now only three groups, and so room enough for them all, even with one room taken up by the boys bags. They felt it was best to move away from the boys corridor, which had Joe, Sugar and Tina's bodies in one room.

So the boys had the last room which had been empty before, the second last that used to belong to Tina and Mercedes had their bags. Quinn, Rachel and Mercedes had the next room, which had belonged to Quinn and Rachel. The first room down the corridor was the only one left, so Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Brittany would share it.

It had been Kurt and Santana's room, so they needed two more beds for the other. But after pulling in the first bed, they found that there was only room for one more bed. Their room wasn't as big as the boys. Like Quinn, Rachel and Mercedes' room, it would only fit three beds with a narrow space to put their bags at the end.

"Someone will have to share." Emma said, looking in to see them standing in front of the bed they'd just pulled in.

Santana nodded and stepped forward. She shoved the middle bed against the bed to the left of the room, leaving the one on the right isolated by a metre gap between them.

"Blaine, that's your bed." Santana said, jabbing a finger at it. "Kurt and I will share the middle one."

Kurt blushed and opened his mouth the protest.

"Neither of us can share with Brittany because she wriggles like mad in her sleep." Santana said. "So you're sharing with me and you can't pretend you mind, because I know you'd prefer that to being alone and having nightmares. And from what we've discovered, sleeping with me keeps the nightmares at bay."

"I hope you won't get cramped." Brittany said.

"Santana are you sure-" Kurt said, obviously not keen to share.

"We'll stuff the gap between beds with pillows. If you get sick of me just roll over and suffer Britt kicking you all night."

Kurt sighed. "Okay. I just wish you'd let Blaine sleep near us too. I don't mind sharing with-"

"A killer?" Santana interrupted.

"He's not-"

But before Kurt could protest, Santana turned and dug in her bag for her pyjamas.

"Let's go and get ready." She demanded, stalking out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, Kurt and Brittany turned and hugged Blaine.

"We're sorry," Brittany said.

"We believe you." Kurt said.

But right now, they could not change Santana's mind.

* * *

So who do you think is the killer now? I've had guesses on Artie, Tina and Mercedes so far and I'm curious to hear more guesses. Emma is dealing with the kids very well I think, because Mr Schue is to scared of the idea that one is evil to try and help the rest. But Emma might not be around forever...


	11. Night-time events

Another chapter while I still have internet! Thanks for reviews again :)

* * *

Kurt flicked the lights out and then climbed back into bed beside Santana. She shifted over to the edge and turned on her side so that he could slide in beside her. Kurt was still quite annoyed with her because of her treatment of Blaine, and he was also a little embarrassed to be sharing a bed with her especially remembering the way he'd cuddled with her the night before. But it was fairly cold that night, and Kurt's sleeping bag was thin, so he ended up curling closer despite this.

There were a few moments of awkward silence where all they heard was each other's breathing, and then Blaine spoke.

"Santana," He sounded as if he were trying not to cry. "I know you- uh- you think I'm actually a murder and I'm killing your friends, so I know how you feel. If I found the killer I'd behave the same way you are. So I get it. I know it seems suspicious and everyone probably hates me-"

"Blaine, no!" Kurt interrupted "No one hates you."

"Just wait, Kurt," Blaine shushed him and took a deep breath before starting again. "So, Santana I'm sorry there's nothing I can do to prove myself to you. But I swear I'm not the killer. I would never do that and it kills me to think that you might hate me for no reason. I-"

Blaine started crying. "I love this Glee Club. At Dalton I was happy and I had good friends, but- but here it's even better. I mean, you guys are like family. And I felt accepted ever since I arrived. And you liked me for me before you liked me for my talent. I want to help protect you, not kill you. And even if I hated you all, I still wouldn't do thing because I- I love Kurt. I love him _so much_. I just- Kurt, I love you."

His sobbing was getting louder but as Kurt tried to reach out and comfort him, Santana held him back. She hissed "let him finish."

"So I would never do this. I couldn't hurt him like this." Blaine finished. "Santana, please. Let me be near Kurt. Let me be there to defend him."

Santana was silent for a long time.

"I don't want to believe you, Sméagol, but you're convincing." Santana made the change from her Gollum nickname, to Sméagol. It was a little better. At least he wasn't the evil Gollum anymore, but the seemingly redeemable Sméagol. So Blaine realised she might just be starting to believe him. "So maybe I'll let you and Kurt hang out. But I'll be watching you. Remember that."

"Thank you," Blaine said. "Thank you so much."

Santana grunted and scrambled to the end of the bed. With another grunt she pulled Blaine's bed up against her and Kurt's.

"There. Be a part of the family. But I'm _still_ sleeping between you and Kurt." Santana concluded.

Blaine looked a little startled. He was still gripping the sides where he'd held on to keep his balance while the bed moved. He was frozen.

"Th-Thank you," He said at last. Santana climbed into bed beside him and curled close to Kurt again.

"Whatever," She said. "Got to sleep,"

Brittany giggled and all three heads turned to face her.

"I like this much better." She said. Then her face became thoughtful. "And also, I worked out who put the axe in Blaine's bag."

"What? Who?" Kurt asked, jerking up to lean on his elbow and watching Brittany intently.

"The cat!" Brittany announced. She was beaming.

Santana and Kurt exchanged a look.

"Oh right," Blaine agreed.

The two seemed to have come to some joint realisation, but Kurt and Santana looked completely confused.

"Sorry but are you two _high_?" Santana asked.

"No," Blaine said with a brief laugh. He looked as if he were thinking very hard. "Brittany just means that last night she saw someone in our room. She thinks it was a floating cat and told me about it in the morning. I guessed she must have been dreaming, but maybe it was the killer."

"Damn," Santana breathed.

"Are you sure you don't think that it's a cat?" Brittany asked.

"I doubt it was a cat, Britt." Kurt said with a small smile.

"But maybe the cat planted the axe?" Brittany suggested.

"I think a very sneaky person planted the axe and pretended they were a cat." Santana explained.

"Oh!" Blaine gasped, sitting straight up in bed. "_Oh_!"

"What?" Santana and Kurt were quick to ask.

"_Pretended they were a cat,_" Blaine repeated. "Brittany, you said that you asked if it was a cat and it said it was. You told me that in the morning."

"Yes," Brittany said. "But it wasn't a cat, Blaine. Santana just explained. It was someone pretending they were a cat."

"No, I know that," Blaine said. "But you heard their voice. What did they sound like?"

Kurt and Santana turned eagerly to Brittany as well.

"Kind of in the middle of low and high. And it was a nice voice, and familiar. But not. As if someone was talking kinda different." Brittany said slowly. She looked a little baffled by the memory. "But then I was quite tired. So I can't really remember. I'm so sorry guys."

"That's okay," Kurt said. "We understand the feeling."

"Are you sure you couldn't place it?" Blaine asked.

Brittany sighed. "No, I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Britt." Santana sighed. "Just get some sleep then."

"Goodnight," Brittany said.

"Goodnight" was the collective reply.

…

Quinn, Rachel and Mercedes were all quite close. There was only a metre or so of space between their beds.

"Sorry I haven't had the chance to talk to you much," Mercedes said to her two friends. "I'm so glad nothing happened to you, or I would have felt awful. I mean, Blaine could have passed anyone that apple!"

"It's not _Blaine_!" Rachel said.

"Oh," Mercedes said, surprised by Rachel's protest. "What makes you say that? It seemed pretty suspicious to me…"

"That's the whole thing. Blaine is pretty smart. So I don't think he'd be dumb enough to take out that axe unless he had no idea it was in there. Which means it's not his axe." Quinn said. It seemed she agreed with Rachel on the matter.

Mercedes hesitated. "I don't know… I mean, it was also Blaine who gave Tina the apple." She said.

"True," Quinn said, "But I still think it could just as easily been anyone else."

"_I_ still think it's Puck," Rachel said.

"I still don't." Quinn argued.

"But-"

"No, it's going to be someone really unobvious. Someone we don't suspect! I was starting to think Mike until today." Quinn said. "And it just proves why I don't like suspecting people. We'll almost always be wrong no matter what."

"Blaine and Puck still seem like fairly accurate suspects." Mercedes said slowly.

"I won't give up on convincing you it's Puck, Quinn." Rachel said. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm not getting hurt!" Quinn snapped. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Now go to sleep."

The other two sighed. They didn't understand Quinn aversion to guessing the killer. But they respected her wishes and at least attempted to sleep.

…

All the boys, minus Kurt and Blaine, lay silently for a moment.

"I can't believe it's Blaine." Finn broke the silence. He sounded stunned.

"What? It's not Blaine." Puck scoffed.

The boys were surprised. Puck was the next greatest suspect after Blaine. Why would he deny that it was Blaine?

"Why not?" Mike asked. His voice had gained a lot of bitterness since Tina's death. When they talked about trivial matters, Mike hardly seemed interested. When they talked about the killer he seemed very much in pain. Even though it had only been that afternoon, they had already noticed the marked difference.

"Blaine and Kurt are my boys! I know it's not them." Puck said.

In the moonlight shining through the window Puck could see Finn raise an eyebrow at him.

"Shut up. I know it sounds cheesy." Puck said. "But it's _true._"

"He had the axe. How could it not be him?" Finn sounded very confused. "And why can't we just grab him and lock him up or something?"

"Because it's not him," Sam said it this time.

Finn turned to face his bed. "You too?"

"Puck's right, I just think Blaine's too smart to get caught. I'm not even that smart but if I was killing people I wouldn't take out the axe in my room in the evening. That'd be foolish." Sam shrugged. "And Blaine's my friend."

"I'm not saying Blaine's the killer, but that's a dumb reason to trust him." Artie said. "You're only really close to Blaine because you told him you like Mercedes and he gave you some advice."

"What?" Sam spluttered. "Who says I like Mercedes?"

"Do you think we're blind?" Artie asked with a smug smile. "We saw you looking at her in the lake and then Blaine going and talking to you. What else would you be talking about?"

"Great," Sam sighed deeply. "I hope _she_ doesn't know as well since I'm apparently _super obvious_."

"Why do you care?" Finn asked. "You've never had a problem telling girls you like them before. You're usually pretty open."

"Yeah I know," Sam said sadly. "I just don't want to get her attached to me when I might die. And I can protect her and stuff without trying to win her heart or anything. I think she just wants to be friends anyway. I mean I'd love to tell her in other circumstances… and I had plenty of opportunity. I can't believe I never noticed her this way before. I feel so _blind_."

There were some snickers at his heartfelt comments. When Sam fell for girls, he fell hard and fast.

"Gee, we're all so cheesy today." Sam said, grinning. He rolled his eyes as the laughter increased.

"Can we sleep?" Mike asked dully from his bed in the far corner.

It was Tina's bed and the pillow still smelt like her. But it didn't help Mike when he was feeling so depressed. It just made him miss her more.

His sadness broke the teasing mood and there was a pause.

"A-Are you okay Mike?" Sam asked at last. They all thought Mike might feel better after talking about it. But it was hard to know how to bring up the subject. Mike had spent some time that afternoon crying as Ms Pillsbury hugged him, and they knew he'd seemed less horrified with her comfort. They wanted to comfort him too.

"What do _you_ think, Artie?" Mike said.

"I just… wish we could help." Artie said.

"You can't help. If any of you were the killer, you might have been able to help. But instead you ruined everything." Mike's voice was shaking with emotion. "And I will _never_ get Tina back. But I will live for her. And that life begins with me finding out who killed her and getting them behind bars where they will _never_ escape."

"Mike-"

"And then I will become a dancer because she always told me that was what I should do." Mike continued as if Sam hadn't tried to speak. "That's what I'll focus on because I have no one else. And Tina will always be on my mind"

"Mike you're not _alone_." Sam managed to finish the sentence this time. "We're going to help you."

There was another pause as Mike seemed to choke on his words.

"Thank you Sam." He finally said.

The relief in the room at Mike accepting their help was almost tangible.

…

That night Kurt woke up to find that the room was boiling hot, and he was curled into Santana's side. He groaned and turned over, rolling away from her. Brittany was on his other side, mumbling something in her sleep. Kurt quickly unzipped his sleeping bag and let the cold air rush in. But Santana was still pressed against his side, and Brittany's bed was just as hot. He was in the exact middle anyway, so moving wouldn't help him escape the heat.

With a sigh, Kurt shuffled to the end of the bed and hopped on onto the floor. Now that he was awake he sort of needed to pee. He ran a hand through his hair. It was gross and sweaty, so he took his towel out of his bag and then left towards the toilets. He closed the door quietly and tiptoed towards the toilets.

"Oh, Hi Kurt," Puck's voice startled him and he let out a quiet scream that didn't really echo loud enough for anyone to hear.

He turned back around to the door he's just passed and saw Puck standing shirtless in his doorway.

"Hi," Kurt squeaked, gulping as he eyed the muscles in Puck's arm. Kurt's voice was stuck his throat and he just stared wide-eyed as Puck shut the door behind him and walked towards Kurt, looming taller the closer he got.

"It's really hot tonight." Puck said in a casual voice, reaching a hand towards Kurt. Kurt's eyes squeezed shut as he cowered backwards.

"Please," He whimpered.

"Woah, dude what's wrong." Puck asked, reaching past him and turning the door handle to the bathroom. Kurt blinked in surprise and stepped backward into the bathroom, putting space between him and Puck.

"Oh right," Puck realised. "You think I'm going to kill you."

Kurt still hadn't relaxed.

"Well, I'm not." Puck said. He walked into a toilet cubicle, unzipping his fly as he went. The tension disappeared from Kurt's body when Puck was out of sight. He realised that if Puck was going to kill him, he would have already done so. "I'm not the killer. So…"

Suddenly a toilet flushed behind him and the door opened.

"Mercedes?" Kurt asked as she stepped out, He hadn't even noticed that she was here.

"Hey Kurt," She smiled and continued jokingly. "I see Puck hasn't killed you yet."

"Ha. Ha." Puck said sarcastically from his own stall, before flushing his toilet as well. "I wouldn't kill you anyone, and I hope you guys know that."

They nodded, though they didn't actually look convinced.

When Puck came out to wash his hands, Kurt went to the toilet himself. The three of them had a brief conversation, asking Puck how Mike was feeling.

Then Kurt disappeared into a shower with his towel, Mercedes teasing call of "How many showers do you have?" was answered with a defensive "It's _hot_ okay. I _need_ a cool shower," before Kurt was left alone in the bathroom and Puck and Mercedes went out the door to go back to their rooms.

When Kurt stepped out of the shower with his towel again, it was to see Finn walking in.

"Oh hi little brother," Finn said. "Puck told me you might still be in here. He woke me up and now I need to pee."

"Hi Finn," Kurt smiled. "How're you doing? I haven't talked to you for a while."

"I'm holding up." Finn said. "You?"

"I'm alright. Just as upset as anyone," Kurt was looking at his feet. "It's hard. You know."

Kurt blinked hard as if he was holding back tears.

"Come on dude, give me a hug." Finn said, holding out his arms. Kurt smiled and stepped into them. Finn still smelled like their home. It was comforting.

"I'll let you go pee." Kurt said. "Goodnight Finn."

"Goodnight," Finn replied. "I'll be looking out for you."

"Thank you," Kurt said. He opened the door and slipped back out into the Hall.

In front of him Rachel was shutting her own bedroom door. She checked around her and started when she saw Kurt.

"Good, it's only you." She said as she recognised him.

"Hello Rachel," Kurt stifled a yawn. "What're you doing up?"

"Um… Mercedes woke me when she came in." Rachel glanced back behind her. "So… I'm going to the loo. She said Puck might be out here, so I was a little scared."

"No he went back to bed when Mercedes left." Kurt assured her.

"Well good, I'll go pee then." Rachel said.

"Goodnight," Kurt said, a teasing smile gracing his face. "Don't spend too long kissing Finn, you need some sleep."

"Finn's in there?" Rachel's face lit up. "Okay, goodnight Kurt!"

And this time she strode purposefully down the corridor. Kurt walked on to the next door over from Rachel's, chuckling as he reached his own room.

…

When Will woke up, he clutched his head and sat up slowly. The room was very dark, and so he reached out for the light switch of his bedside lamp. As he fumbled his fingertips reached crackling paper.

Mr Schue sat straight up in bed and quickly flicked the light on, wide awake all of a sudden. He unfolded the paper and read as quickly as he could.

_Once Upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Cinderella. She was kind and sweet and caring in disposition, perhaps too much for her own good. In fact, Cinderella's nurturing and motherly qualities were bound to before an annoyance eventually. It was especially bad when _your_ Cinderella didn't turn out to be nearly as much of a nervous wreck as I expected she would be in this situation. She had to go really._

_So one night Cinderella was out in beautiful gown and she forgot the time. But Cinderella should not have been out after midnight. And when midnight came, she didn't have the time to run away. And at twelve on the dot, she fled, losing her slipper as she ran. But unluckily for her, midnight was already past._

_It was too late._

_The End._

Will quickly tossed the paper aside and flung his dressing gown on.

"Emma, wake up!" He called to the lump in her duvet where Emma had curled up the night before, determined to get her rest. "Someone's dead again!"

And he flew out the door and down the corridor, pounding on the doors of the cabins and calling for a meeting in the Hall. He was about to find out who had died that night.

He wasn't going to forgive himself when he saw who it was.

* * *

And there you go :) This chapter has been a little shorter than the others, but I hope you'll still love it and review! I'd love, as always, to hear guesses on who the killer is, or friendships and pairing you want to see more of.


	12. Cinderella

Filler chapter as an intro to the next one that was getting too long when this one was added to it as well, so I split them in the end. I'm loving hearing your opinions on the killer. I've had Sam and Finn suspected now and someone who thinks it's Blaine because when he took the axe out of his bag he seemed confused about why the axe was in his bag, not about the fact that he had an axe. So yeah. It's all so interesting.

Oh and there was one who thought it was Emma until the last chapter when they began to think she was going to die.

So onwards and enjoy!

* * *

It took Mr Schue about three seconds when the pyjama clad, yawning club had gathered to work out who was missing.

"No," He whispered.

The kids were still looking around, spotting their friends and clutching each other. They mostly hadn't worked out who was gone until they heard Mr Schue.

"EMMA!" He screamed. "Emma, where are you?"

And then the Glee Club realised who must have died. Will didn't even look back at them before he sprinted back to his cabin and threw back the bedcovers. Instead of Emma lying inside, there was a single pillow.

Mr Schue swore loudly for the first time in front of his kids and then bolted back out of the door, pushing them aside from where they followed him. Will span in a circle in the centre of the room before flinging open the door that led outside.

Then he saw her, or at least he saw part of her.

In the middle step of the small flight that led to the ground outside, was a slender, pale foot covered in blood. That was all.

"Oh my god," Blaine gasped from behind him.

Will only realised they were behind him then. He didn't care. He walked quickly down the three steps that separated him from Emma's foot and leaned down for a moment. He felt sick.

The foot had been hacked from her leg and left there carelessly, as a token of the glass slipper.

The old Mr Schue might have paused to send the kids back inside, or move the foot to save them the trauma of seeing it. But he no longer had the capability to even think of that possibility. He had been going mad with the guilt and horror of the idea that one of his glee kids was a murderer, and now Emma was dead and he felt as if his heart had been frozen completely.

So Mr Schue continued down the stairs and heard the shocked gasps (and a faint gagging from Kurt) behind him. Other began to retch as well at the sight of the mangled foot, so he vaguely noticed as more people came out of the door to follow him.

It was a short distance into the trees where he discovered Emma's body. She was lying sideways on the ground with a surprised expression on her face and a knife through her heart. Her big innocent eyes stared unseeingly at Will and he let out a faint sob.

Falling to his knees beside her, he stroked her ginger hair back from her face. She was wearing her frilly nightgown - there really was no other way to describe it - beautiful like Cinderella's dress, yet in tatters now. The killer must have done that as well.

Mr Schue simply sobbed for a long time, aware that others were crying around him but not able to force himself to care just yet.

Eventually he felt a tentative hand on his shoulder and turned to see Finn looking down at him with worried eyes.

"Mr Schue?" Finn asked. "What do we do now?"

Will looked over the rest of the Glee Club and saw their terrified eyes staring back at him. They were all worried that he was about to lose it completely after seeing Emma. And they also realised that it had really been Emma keeping everything organised on the island. Without her, they weren't sure Mr Schue could do the job. And the idea of being adults themselves terrified them.

At least it was day four on the island. Three more days and they'd be rescued.

"We have to…" Will looked back at Emma. "We have to carry her in first. I'll do that. And you go and- um- wait in the Hall."

He was fumbling as he tried to stand, and the Glee Club looked at him very worriedly, before he shooed them off.

They all walked up the stairs in a line, leaving Will to carry Emma inside. They avoided the blood covered foot that still lay on the stairs. Then they sat to wait for Will's return.

"You don't think Mr Schue is the killer, do you?" Brittany said unexpectedly. "Because he was alone in the room with her."

They all looked around uneasily before Kurt said.

"No, it can't have been him." All eyes turned to Kurt and they seemed desperate to believe that their beloved teacher wasn't the killer. "There were other people out of bed last night."

"Ah, true," Mercedes agreed.

"Wait what?" Blaine questioned. "There were people out of bed last night."

"Well Rachel and Finn were kissing in the bathroom." Sam's nose was scrunched up as if the memory was disgusting to him. "Finn went off to the toilet and he'd been gone a while so I went to find him and make sure he wasn't dead; and he and Rachel were eating each other's faces."

Finn blushed and looked slightly smug, but Rachel glared at Sam.

"You should have _knocked _first." She said.

"Hey! I thought it was just Finn using the toilet. If I'd _known_ you were kissing I would not have come inside. Seriously, how do you guys even reach for so long without getting sore muscles? You're so short, Rachel."

"I'm _not _short." She huffed.

"Guys let's stay on topic. I'd rather not hear about Berry's love life more than necessary." Santana put things bluntly. "Who else was out of bed last night?"

"Well I was." Kurt said, "It was boiling in bed, Santana, so I went to the bathroom. Puck was just coming out of his room as I went and he came with me, and Mercedes was in there when we arrived. I had a brief cold shower and I peed and then went back to bed just as Finn was arriving. I saw Rachel in the Hall as well."

"So," Artie said, "That's Mercedes, Kurt, Puck, Finn, Rachel and Sam."

"Other people could easily have gone as well, without us seeing." Quinn added.

At that moment the door opened and Mr Schue walked through cradling Emma and crying again. He disappeared to the boys corridor and they began talking again.

"Quinn, why do you have to keep stopping us from narrowing down suspects?" Rachel asked. "It's not like you're even on our list. There's like one thing that could prove it was you. Compared to all the evidence we have about everyone else. You're pretty much the… safest… person."

She trailed off slowly, staring at Quinn with sudden realisation. A few eyes widened around her.

"Seriously?" Quinn asked. "You're going to suspect me because there's the _least_ amount of evidence to incriminate me? If that isn't the dumbest reason I've ever heard…"

"It's not dumb." Mike said, "It's plausible. We know the killer is good at covering their tracks, so it stands to reason that it could be someone like you."

"There are tons of other people who have as little evidence against them as me." Quinn argued. "You don't have much against you, Mike. Nor does Kurt, Brittany, Sam, Finn and Mercedes,"

"Yes, but they haven't spent the whole time out here continuing to say 'we shouldn't bother trying to guess who the killer is. We'll never find them anyway'." Rachel said in an oddly accurate imitation of Quinn's voice.

"Well, against you we only have the fact that you were the first to find Joe's body, and the determination to stop people from guessing the killer." Artie said slowly. "So I'm not ruling you out, but I think it's unlikely that it's you."

"Thank you!" Quinn said "That's what I'm trying to say. You could think _that_ about anyone. There something against each name, and something that makes you want to believe it wasn't them."

"But-" Rachel started.

"Leave Quinn alone!" Puck snapped. "She hasn't done anything wrong Rachel! You have a new suspect every two seconds so _drop it_ before you get accused again and then get upset as well."

Finn put a protective arm around his fiancée and glared at Puck while Rachel curled into his side.

"I'm just trying to be realistic." She said quietly to Finn.

"I know," He whispered back, stroking her hair. "Shhh now,"

"So who do people think it is other than that?" Artie asked, ready to collect more information.

"I think it's-" Santana stopped in the middle of her sentence. She turned slightly and eyed Blaine from the corner of her eye. His body was tense, as if he expected a blow. Then her realised Santana hadn't finished her sentence. He glanced up through his long lashes, reminding her unfairly of a puppy-dog. Santana scowled.

"You think?" Artie prompted.

"I think it's any one of a top five suspects." Santana amended. "Well, there's Blaine-"

She stopped to glance at him and saw that his face had fallen again. His eyebrows were flat and tugged up in the middle in an expression that was a mix of heartbroken and pleading.

"Who I suspect a little less than the others..."

Blaine's expression became a little less desperate and a little more grateful. Santana repressed the urge to roll her eyes at his ridiculous behaviour.

"But who is a suspect because of being found with the axe, and passing Tina the apple, and his role in splitting the group up to look for Kurt." She continued, this time looking right at Artie and electing to ignore the reactions around her. "I also think that Puck is a high suspect because the axe belonged to him, he's a strong guy, and he's not really bothered with breaking the law and getting into fights. Also, his motivations for killing Joe made a lot of sense."

Puck was frowning, but didn't make a move to defend himself. Instead, it was Kurt who spoke.

"But last night I met Puck alone in the dark hallway and he had plenty of chance to kill me off with very little hassle. But he didn't do anything." Kurt said. He smiled at Puck, who nodded back with gratitude. It seemed that Kurt no longer suspected Puck like he used to.

"Didn't you say Mercedes was in the bathroom?" Artie asked.

"Yeah, what if Puck had known that I was there and so he'd made sure not to kill you?" Mercedes asked. "And besides, he wouldn't have had a fairytale prepared for your death just then."

"Oh," Kurt said. A little of his old fear was back in his eyes. "I guess…"

Puck looked annoyed. He tried to meet Kurt's eyes, but Kurt wouldn't look up again.

"Santana, did you want to keep going?" Artie asked.

"Yeah sure," She said. "I also suspect, as you all well know, that it could be Rachel. I didn't used to. It was kind of fun to wind her up. But now I actually think it's a possibility."

Rachel's mouth was hanging open and her expression was indignant. Before she could speak, Santana continued.

"I think Rachel, because she's always been so accusatory when we're guessing the killer. She gets very defensive when anyone suggests it's her. And think about, she had a very dramatic personality. I would _not_ be surprised if she's come up with this idea of leaving fairytales behind."

There was a silence after Santana's words and they turned to look at Rachel, who blushed.

"Okay," Artie said. "So Rachel, Puck and Blaine. Who're the other two?"

"Mr Schue," Santana said. "And before you all tell me I'm nuts then let me explain. He is the adult, and so he has a lot of power. He was the one who brought us to _this island_. He could have been planning this for a while. At first, he still cared about and helped us, and now he's just completely zoned out. I think it's because he'd plotting his next murder and has no time to think about us anymore. And he was alone with Emma in their room."

Everyone looked very uncomfortable with the idea, but it did make sense.

"Who else?" Artie asked

"And also, Finn," But before Santana could explain this one, the door opened and Will came back inside. He had attempted to collect himself, and now he stood calmly before them.

"Alright guys," He said. "I don't know which one of you is the murderer, and why you are doing this. But I ask you, whoever you are, to tell me right now, or suffer worse consequences later."

They looked at him like he was crazy. Did he really expect the killer to just step forward and give themselves up?

"Oh sorry," Puck said sarcastically "Yeah, I am the killer. I meant to tell you before. Thank you so much for the opportunity to tell you because I wasn't going to do it until you said that."

There were sniggers and Mr Schue looked rather lost.

"Did you really think they were going to just _tell _you who they were?" Santana asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All due respect, Mr Schue. But we're probably closer to finding the killer than you are." Sam told him.

"Oh," Mr Schue seemed even more put out. "I was just thinking I might do a questioning or something."

"What like those murder mystery movies?" Quinn scoffed. "Where you take us into a tiny room and shine a light into our eyes until one of us admits to killing four people? Like you did when the glist was made?"

Will shuffled embarrassedly and then shook his head.

"No," he said unconvincingly as he formed a new plan in his head. "I was going to just ask you all a few questions in front of everyone."

"Okay, but we ask you those same questions afterwards." Mercedes said, eyes narrowed.

"Oh," Mr Schue looked shocked. He hadn't realised he was a suspect. "Okay then,"

* * *

Your reviews are making my day every day. Do continue! I always love hearing from you, especially my new readers :) Thank you!


	13. Interrogations

Sorry this took so long. It's really just a chapter to show people alibis and why it's so hard to work out the killer. Yeah... I hope you like it. It was annoying to write.

* * *

Artie wheeled to the middle of the room "I'll go first," He said "Because we all know it's not me."

"Okay," Mr Schue cleared his throat. "So, Artie, where were you at the time that Joe was killed?"

"I was in my chair in the bedroom I was going to share with Joe, putting my bags away. Joe then left because he'd dropped something on the way back and wanted to find it. Then I wheeled out and went through to the Main Hall where I sat with Quinn, Mike and Tina and we talked until Quinn left to find Joe and we heard her screaming." Artie said. His voice was steady and even.

"How about as we were searching for Kurt in the forest?" Mr Schue asked.

"Mike took my chair and started to take me up the wooden path and we looked for Kurt up that way." Artie said.

"Yeah, that's true." Mike agreed.

"And during the packing lunches for the picnic where Tina ate the apple, what was your job?" Mr Schue asked.

"I was at the end of the table and sharing a lunch bag with Sam and Mercedes, Sam was making sandwiches and Mercedes picked out the fruit. Then they passed it to me and I packed it. We were the first group finished and waited in the Hall after that." Artie said.

"And did you ever come into contact with Blaine, Kurt, Rachel and Finn's bag that the apple came out of?"

"Yes," Artie admitted. "When it was Rachel's turn to carry it and she got tried, no one wanted to carry it again so she asked if she could hook it on the back of my chair. So it was there behind me for a long time."

"I see," Mr Schue said. "And you didn't open it?"

"Never," Artie said.

"What about when E-emma… died? Where were you that night?" Mr Schue had trouble asking this question.

"I was in bed the whole night, sleeping." Artie said. "None of the guys in my room had to help me get up, so I can prove that that's true."

The guys sharing Artie's room nodded. The questioning was over for him, so he wheeled back into place. No one did suspect Artie. Especially after the talk between him and Rachel the day before.

Next Mercedes stepped forward, because she been right beside Artie.

"So where were you during Joe's death?" Mr Schue asked.

"Unpacking in my room," Mercedes said. "Tina had finished and went to sit in the Hall, because she was just keeping everything in her bag. But I was using the wardrobe so I was there longer. Rachel came in to ask me if I had any moisturiser because she forgot hers so she can back me up."

"Yeah I did come in for a few seconds, but Mercedes only had one tube of moisturiser so I went to get Kurt's spare stuff out of his bag," Rachel said.

"Yeah, without asking me first," Kurt mock-glared at her.

"We don't care about the moisturiser." Mr Schue interrupted before they could start getting annoyed with each other. "Mercedes, where were you on our search for Kurt?"

"I was alone most of the time, because I was freaking out and just wanted to find Kurt." Mercedes said with a smile in Kurt's direction. "But then I was quite close to the Cabin most of the time. I was the next person to arrive after Rachel and Finn because I was in the trees really nearby."

"Yeah she was just ahead of me when I got back," said.

"And while packing lunches, Artie says you got the fruit for your group, is that true?" Mr Schue asked.

"Yes, I got us an apple and banana each so we could chose when we got up there." Mercedes said.

"So you were reaching inside the apple box?" Mr Schue asked.

"I grabbed a few off the top, really quick. Like Artie said, we were the first group with our lunches packed. I was in the Hall with him and Sam the rest of the time."

"Did you ever touch the lunch bag with the poisoned apple?" Mr Schue continued with the questions.

"No," Mercedes said. "The closest I came to it was walking behind Kurt when he was first wearing it, but I never touched it."

"And last night?" He didn't want to say the phrase 'Emma died' again.

"Well as Kurt said when you weren't here, I got up at night and I went to the toilet. When I came out, Kurt and Puck where there. Puck went to pee and when he came out and washed his hands we talked to Kurt for a few seconds and then we both walked back down the Hall and Puck said goodnight to me as I was heading into my room one door down from his. I shut the door and went back to bed, but I woke Rachel as I did so."

"Yeah, I saw her go back in her room." Puck agreed.

"And she did wake me up, as soon as she was back." Rachel added.

"Thank you Mercedes" Mr Schue said, and Mercedes stepped back.

It was Rachel's turn next. She tried to look very calm as she sat down, but the Glee Club could see that she was nervous, and they thought it was suspicious.

"Same questions," Mr Schue said. "Where were you when Joe died?"

"Quinn and I unpacked in the bedroom and then she left and I went to find Finn," Rachel spoke in a rush. "But it took me a while to find him because he was in the bathroom and then when I found him Quinn screamed so we ran out to find her."

"Did people _see_ Rachel looking for Finn?" Santana asked, watching her with narrowed eyes and plainly not trusting her story.

"I saw her about two minutes before Quinn screamed." Mike offered tonelessly. "She walked through the Hall."

"Okay, and when looking for Kurt where were you?"

"I was running and looking for him and then I came across Finn and he was crying and then I followed Finn back towards the house and he was telling me about how he felt like it would be his fault if he lost Kurt-"

"Finn," Kurt began "You shouldn't-"

But everyone shushed him and Rachel continued. "Then I was the one who heard Kurt singing and Finn and I ran back to the house. I was the second in the door."

"Packing lunches?" Mr Schue asked.

"I was making my own lunch and no one else's because I'm vegan so I was making sure I had the right stuff." Rachel said. "I did put a few apples in our bag just in case others wanted them. But I was searching with Kurt in the fruit box, and he can tell you I didn't do anything to the apples."

"Um…" Kurt looked as if he couldn't remember accurately, but he quickly nodded anyway and said "Yeah that's right."

"Did you open the bag during the walk at any point?"

"No. I carried it when it was my turn and when the time was up no one else wanted it so I hung it on Artie's chair where it stayed until Blaine got his drink bottle out and started carrying it himself. When we got to the picnic site I took out my sandwiches and one apple and ate them. I touched nothing else until after I was done when I ate a cookie." Rachel finished her story.

"Last night?" There were many suspicious eyes already trained on Rachel.

"I was asleep the whole time until Mercedes bumped me as she came back in. I'm a light sleeper and I've trained myself to wake at little noises so I can wake at my alarm clock to work out each morning. So then I decided to do pee since I was awake anyway. I walked out of my door and looked both ways because Mercedes had told me Puck might still be out there and I was scared. I saw Kurt, we talked, and I ran straight off to find Finn." She said, in a rush again. As soon as she was down she sank back in her seat and was silent.

Finn was next. He sat forwards awkwardly, partly to shield Rachel from the looks she was getting.

"The first one's what I was doing when Joe died, right?" Finn asked. "Well I was in the bathroom with Kurt at first. Kurt went into the shower to wash his hair and freshen up after sleeping in the bus. I was on the toilet and then I was setting out my toothbrush and stuff by the sink. I went to unpack my stuff in my room and then Rachel walked in. We heard Quinn scream and ran out to see what was the matter."

Kurt and Rachel were nodding in agreement to his story.

"Sugar?" Will prompted.

"Well, I was freaking out about Kurt. And so I was… crying," He seemed ashamed to admit it. "And I was running around the perimeter of the house to look for him. I ran into Rachel and she tried to calm me down. As we re-entered the clearing in front of the cabin we heard Kurt singing and I sprinted straight to the bathroom where the sound was coming from."

"And packing lunches?"

"If there's one thing I can do, it's make sandwiches." Finn said with a smile. "So I was making lunch for me and Blaine, and Kurt was beside me making his own lunch and getting annoyed because I wasn't using the right stuff or whatever. Then Kurt finished his sandwiches and went to find fruit with Rachel and so I put tons of mayo in his sandwiches because they looked bland-"

"What?" Interrupted Kurt angrily.

"Sorry dude, and you enjoyed them so you can't complain. Then Blaine arrived and saw me doing it and laughed. And Blaine had brought the baking and stuff for snacks. Blaine and I packed the bag and then Rachel came with Kurt and we put the fruit in and that was all."

"Did you touch the bag again?"

"Well yeah I carried it for a bit. I never opened it because my drink bottle was in an outside pocket so I just grabbed it from there when I needed it." Finn said. "But I did swap a banana for one of Puck, Quinn and Brittany and Santana's apples. I think I ate that apple though. I can't remember because I tossed it back in the bag for a few seconds to eat a bit of Puck's sandwich he offered first."

People were side-eyeing Puck now, though he didn't seem to notice. Some wondered if he'd offered the sandwich so that Finn hadn't eaten the apple.

"As for Ms Pillsbury's death," Finn said. "You've pretty much been told by others already. I was woken up when Puck returned and he stood on my hand that was hanging over the side of my bed. I went out to the toilet and saw Kurt. We talked for a bit and then he left. I went to pee and when I was in there, the door opened and it was Rachel. So we made out a little… before Sam came in."

He sounded almost proud at the making out part. Rachel hit him. As he rubbed his arm he continued. "So Rachel and I left Sam alone and went back to bed. I fell asleep in like two seconds."

"Alright, thank you Finn. Blaine?" Mr Schue prompted. Blaine nodded to show he was ready.

"Right, when we arrived I said goodbye to Kurt at the showers and then I was with Brittany the whole time, showing her how to unpack. Santana came in after a bit and helped too. When we were done I left them alone and started to go and find Kurt and I helped him fix his hair and then Quinn started screaming." Blaine said.

Brittany, Santana and Kurt all nodded to show that they had all done exactly this.

"Looking for Kurt was I _freaking out_ and I ran back down the path to the lake by myself. I thought the killer might have grabbed him on his way back to the showers. I was checking the bushes and screaming Kurt's name-"

"I heard _that._" Quinn said, wincing at the memory of the desperation in Blaine's voice that had made her cry even harder.

"Yeah and he wasn't anywhere along that path so I went back and as I was almost reaching the clearing I heard Rachel and Finn yelling his name and started running and I arrived just as Tina was ringing the dinner bell. I was after Quinn I think. And I went straight to the hallway where Finn and Rachel and Mercedes were outside the shower." Blaine finished.

"And when packing lunches, was it true you were getting the baking?" Mr Schue asked.

"Yup, like they said, Finn and Kurt made sandwiches for all of us while Rachel made her own and then Kurt went to find the fruit with Rachel as I was coming back from the corner where the baking was kept, with some cakes and cookies which me and Finn then packed." Blaine said.

"The bag?" Blaine was prompted.

"I carried it first, then gave it to Kurt, who gave it to Finn who gave it to Rachel. Then it was on Artie's chair and I only opened it later to get my drink bottle out. I didn't touch the apples then. Kurt got his drink bottle out too and we zipped the bag up after putting them back. After that Kurt threw me my lunch and I didn't touch the bag again until I saw Tina searching her own bag and saw that the only thing she didn't have was an apple so I grabbed one and threw it to her." He sounded sorrowful on the last line. "I wish I never had."

Mr Schue opened his mouth to ask the next question, but Blaine began speaking before he could.

"As for last night, I was asleep the whole time. I was in the bed by Santana, and so Kurt didn't wake me when he came in. And I woke in the morning when Mr Schue burst in yelling."

Blaine leaned back and looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder. Kurt uncrossed and then re-crossed his legs again before he began to speak.

"Alright, my turn. I was in the shower after the gross bus ride. And I came out and started fixing my hair when Blaine came in and stopped to help me." Kurt finished. "So then Quinn started screaming and I freaked out and ran back down to the beach place with everyone."

"And when Sugar-"

"When Sugar died, as you all know, I was in the shower for the second time because Blaine had to _dump me in the lake_. I was listening to my music. You knocked as I was washing my hair I'm guessing, because I didn't hear. After a bit I started singing Defying Gravity. Then I heard hammering and yelling faintly through the water and headphones playing the song. So I was like 'hold on' and turned off the water so I could hear and everyone was freaking out so I wrapped a towel around my waist and came out and everyone was there crying and they started hugging me and yeah…" Kurt finished, blushing at the memory of being half-naked in front of the glee club.

"As for making food, I was making sandwiches with Finn, who was being _disgusting_. And he gave Blaine _beetroot and peanut butter." _Kurt seemed horrified. "And so I left my healthy ones, and the nice half of Blaine's that _I_ made and went with Rachel to get fruit and we picked out the apples and some other stuff and we went back and gave them to Finn and Blaine who were just finishing packing the bag."

"What about on the walk and at the picnic?" Will asked. "Any contact with the bag?"

"I carried it after Blaine and gave it to Finn when it was his turn to carry it. That thing _hurts_ your back I'm telling you! Then when Blaine got his drink bottle out I grabbed mine too. And at the picnic I got both mine and Blaine's lunches out. I didn't touch the apples, though. I ate a banana." Kurt said.

"Yeah you _like_ bananas." Puck couldn't help adding with a smirk. Kurt turned an intense shade of pink and glared at him.

"As. For. Last. Night." Kurt said forcefully to interrupt the laughter around him. "I woke up really hot so I went to take a cold shower. And if anyone makes a snide comment about the amount of showers I take…"

He let the threat trail off and Mercedes started cackling with laughter.

"Anyway I saw Puck and Mercedes before the shower, as they've said. I went in the shower, came out to find Finn. Talked to Finn, went out to go to bed, saw Rachel, and actually went to bed." Kurt finished.

"Okay, Quinn's turn." Mr Schue said.

"That first day I dumped my bag and then sat in the Main Hall with Mike and Tina and Artie until I went to look for Joe and found his body." Quinn gave her answers quickly, and before the questions were even asked. "On the day we split up to look for Kurt, I was sort of near the house, looking by that stream off to the left, and so when Rachel and Finn started yelling I ran in pretty fast and got in the door just in time for Blaine to push past me.

"When we were packing lunch I was making sandwiches with Brittany and Puck and Santana went to get fruit and baking together. They came back with apples and mandarins and a pear. I later wanted a banana instead so I swapped an apple for it with Finn. So that's how one of our apples made its way into their bags. I doubt that was the poisoned one because Finn's pretty sure he ate the one we gave him. And that was the only contact I had with their bag at all.  
"And last of all, I was asleep for the whole night and didn't wake up for either Rachel or Mercedes leaving and coming back in. I woke when Mr Schue burst in this morning."

Having got her story out, Quinn fell back and sighed with relief.

"And Puck, you're next." Mr Schue said. Puck also began his story without prompting.

"Okay so the first day I was unpacking my stuff and then I went and starting eating stuff from the kitchen. Rachel saw me when she was looking for Finn." He paused and Rachel agreed with him. "And I was there until Quinn screamed."

"What about-"

"When we split up to look for Kurt I was sure the killer would have taken him into the gulley with thick trees that we'd seen on the way up so I went there and couldn't find him and so I decided to climb the tall tree there and look down for him because I thought I might spot him from afar. I was almost at the top when the dinner bell started ringing, so I was the last back." Puck said.

"I saw him up the tree," Mike said.

"And on the day when we were packing lunches, I was with Santana getting baking and fruit. We didn't get any bananas, but we got four apples, and a couple mandarins and a pear. Then we all shoved everything in the bag. I never touched Rachel and stuff's bag. The only thing I touched was the apple that Finn got later on."

"We know you were out of bed last night," Mr Schue said.

"Yup, as Kurt said I came out of my room as he was passing and then called out his name and went in the bathroom with him. I peed and Mercedes was there. Then me and Mercedes left." Puck gave a simple re-telling of what they'd already heard.

"Okay, now Santana." Mr Schue said, glancing at the girl who still looked scornful toward the whole process.

"Right so the first day we arrived I unpacked my stuff after getting all of Kurt's freaking clothes off my bed and then went to help Brittany because I knew she'd be confused. Blaine was there too and we got everything unpacked and Blaine left. Brittany and I talked until we heard the screaming." Santana sounded very bored.

"Next question… is that Sugar?" She paused a moment as they nodded. "Well I was looking for Kurt in the woods like everyone else. And I went up the hill a bit, about twenty or so metres from the wooden path that Artie and Mike were on. I ran back at the bell, because I hadn't heard Rachel and Finn yelling. I was one of the last back."

"And we know that when packing you got the fruit with Puck." Mr Schue said.

"Yup, got the fruit and that's about it. Puck was there, so he can say I never did anything same way I know he didn't do anything. Not that time anyway. He might have poisoned an apple when I wasn't with him. But yeah, we just grabbed the stuff and packed it." She shrugged. "Then there's the bag, which I never touched. The only thing that happened was when one of our apples got swapped so that Finn had it. But I didn't know _that_ till today."

"Alright. But what about last night?" Rachel prompted when Santana paused for too long.

"Well that's been said too," Santana said in a voice that implied Rachel was stupid. "I was in bed all night. Kurt woke and was too hot so he left, and he never woke me coming back. But when I woke up I was cuddling him again."

She smirked as Kurt looked embarrassed. And then it was Sam's turn.

"Right well on arrival I unpacked with Mike and then went to explore a little, but behind the house, so nowhere near the lake and Joe." Sam said. "I only knew anything was happening when I heard Quinn screaming."

"Alright, so what about Sugar's death?" Mr Schue asked.

"Well then I was looking for Kurt with everyone else. I was down the-" Sam lifted both hands into 'L' shapes in front of him briefly. "the left side of the house because everyone else was on the right. I couldn't find Kurt anywhere. I returned at the bell and I was one of the last too. I think just before Santana actually. I wasn't paying much attention since I was so worried about Kurt."

"And making lunches you were on sandwiches duty right?" Mr Schue said.

"Yeah, I was with Artie the whole time making them and handing them to him for him to pack. After that we sat out in the Hall. I never touched the bag with the poisoned apple."

"And last night you were out of bed." Finn stated.

"Yeah, I woke up when Puck came in, like you did. And then you went to the toilet. I didn't need to at first but after a bit I decided to go as well. And I was also wondering where Finn was. So I went off to the bathroom and found the horrifying kissing scene you've already been told about. When Finchel left I just peed and went back to bed. I was back way too quick to have done anything."

"Yeah he was back really fast," Puck agreed.

"And that's it." Sam finished with a small clap as he sat back and Brittany began to speak.

"Obviously I was unpacking with Blaine and Santana, like they said. So I wasn't out near Joe. And then when Kurt was missing I was searching up the back of the house and at one point I thought I'd seen him so I ran up towards it but there was no one in that spot, and further along I saw Sam, who was still searching and then I started walking back because it was just Sam and I heard a yell and them the bell so I went back inside." Brittany said. "And when packing I wasn't too sure what I was doing so I was with Quinn the whole time. I was mainly putting the bread on to close the sandwiches because when I tried to spread them Quinn said I was doing it wrong. I didn't really touch Rachel and stuff's bag though."

"And apparently you didn't get up last night. Is that true?" Mr Schue asked. Brittany nodded.

"Okay, my turn." Mike sounded bored again.

"Where were you-"

"When Joe died I was unpacking with Sam. Then I sat with Tina, Quinn and Artie in the Hall." No one missed the way his voice quivered over Tina's name. "When we were looking for Kurt, as you've been told, I took Artie's wheelchair up the pathway to look. We were the last back. When we packed lunches Tina and I had a bag to ourselves. We made sandwiches together and then she grabbed some baking and I grabbed some bananas. I wish I'd gotten her an apple because…"

Mike had to pause to breathe deeply and the air shuddered through him with pain. "Because she wanted one later, and when she couldn't find one in our bag, Blaine threw her one. So she died. Because of me."

"Mike, it's not your fault," Sam said kindly.

"Whatever," Mike shook his head. He continued before people could protest further. "And so then last night I was in bed the whole night. I didn't wake up. I just had nightmares the whole night."

"Mike do you-?" Blaine began.

"Stop it." Mike snapped. "Don't feel sorry for me. Just leave me alone."

There was an awkward pause. They all waited for Mr Schue to do something. Ms Pillsbury would have known just what to say. But Will stayed silent for a long time. When he did speak it wasn't what they needed to hear.

"So, are you questioning me too?" He asked.

* * *

Thank you again for your continued support and reviews. I love hearing from you. And my new reviewer who gave me feedback on every chapter THANK YOU SO MUCH! I've loved hearing your speculation.


	14. Swimming

So next chapter up! I can't wait to hear all your speculations on the killer NOW. Love getting all your reviews and talking to some of you. It seems that the most suspected people are Quinn, Sam, Finn. And there are some others suspected but most are going for those three.

* * *

"Okay William," Santana said, reverting to his first name and stalking toward him with fierce eyes. She slammed a hand on the coffee table in front of him and cleared her throat. "Where were _you_ the day that Joe died?"

"I took the food boxes we hadn't already had carried up into the kitchen and packed away the food. Then I went to unpack my own bags. I was alone in there until the screaming started." He said, flinching a little at Santana's expression.

"Really?" Santana asked. "So you were in there _alone_ and none of us saw you?"

"Yes, but I'm sure Quinn, Artie, Mike and Tina would have noticed if I'd left the room."

"Unless you climbed out a window." Rachel offered her thoughts.

"I didn't do that-" Will started to say.

"Okay whatever." Santana interrupted him. "Next question. Where were you when we were searching for Kurt?"

"I was nearer the lake and the tree Puck climbed I think. I was starting back towards the Cabin when the bell started ringing and I heard Rachel shouting. I got in after Blaine and Emma, I think it was them. I was more focused on getting Kurt back then noticing those details."

"How odd that no one admits to being in the area Sugar was killed." Quinn said sarcastically.

"Well you can't accuse me because I'm the last one questioned and you think that is the last place I could have been." Will said defensively. "Anyone might have lied."

"Alright _next _question William." Santana said. "Did you ever come into contact with the bag containing the poisoned apple?"

"No I didn't actually." Mr Schue said, looking satisfied with being able to say this.

"Did anyone see him touch the bag?" Santana asked, swinging around and letting her eyes skim over everyone in front of her.

They all shook their heads. Santana still didn't seem to believe Mr Schue, but there was nothing she could do about it. She returned to her fierce countenance and kept questioning.

"What about last night. You were alone. In the room with Emma," Santana paused to lean in very close and glare. "How do you excuse yourself from that one?"

"Well I-" He looked very lost. Suddenly the bags under his eyes and the tired wrinkles in his face seemed more obvious. He was very worn down. "I can't prove anything. I can merely hope that you know enough of me to trust me."

Santana raised an eyebrow. Will didn't say anything more, he just pressed his lips together as if he were trying not to break down. It was the last question and everything was over, but no one knew what to do. The Glee Club were silent, looking nervously around as if they weren't sure they were allowed to speak yet.

Santana straightened up so abruptly that several people jumped. She pushed back from the table and turned on her heel to face them.

"Okay that was fun. I'm done now." She shrugged and sat down again. "What are we doing next?"

Nervous laughter broke out at Santana's abrupt change of tone. She was certainly one to take the task of finding a killer very seriously. She handled it differently than Artie, but she seemed just as determined.

…

"I did have a plan." Artie said after the laughter had died down. "To do with an escape."

All eyes were on him.

"We're on an island, right? We're really far from the shore, and we have no boats, but can anyone swim?" Artie asked. They were still silent. "And I don't just mean swim, I mean swim _really well._ So well that you won't get tired or not be able to complete the journey. Because I've been considering this for a while, and I know that some of you must have thought of it too. We _are _really far from shore. But it's worth a try. People could just try and swim as far as they can."

"I don't think that's very safe, Artie." Will said. "I thought of it too, but it's a long way."

"Yeah well you aren't in charge anymore so shut up." Santana snapped at him.

"Santana," He started to chastise. Everyone shushed him. Will lowered his head and didn't say another word.

"Well?" Artie asked. "Is anyone willing to try?"

"What _exactly_ will we do?" Mike asked uncertainly.

"Well we all have to be in one place to prevent further murders, so we'll _all_ go down to the lakeshore. We'll take a bunch of those apple shortcakes because they can be eaten cold and it's less likely they'll be poisoned like Tina's apple or other food we make ourselves, since they're all packaged. We have those drink bottles we can take and then we'll spend a day by the lake. We can send out four swimmers and if they get tired, they can swim straight back and rest right away. We'll keep trying until someone can make it or we realise no one can." Artie gave them his plan with hopeful eyes and a matter-of-fact tone that made it clear to everyone that he knew what he was doing.

"Sounds good," Finn said with a smile. "I vote we do that."

"Same,"

"Yup,"

"Me too,"

The murmurs of consent continued until even Mr Schue gave a reluctant agreement to the plan.

"Right," Artie clapped his hands together. "So everyone go and fill one drink bottle and then put it on the front step. That way we'll have the right amount. If there's any spares fill them too. Take your _own _apple shortcake. More than one if you're hungry. Carry your own in a bag with a towel and anything else you want. Change into your swimming togs and meet back here in ten minutes to walk down together."

Everyone leapt up and went to the kitchen, talking about the idea as they went. They were mostly very optimistic about the idea and Artie was pleased with himself.

Soon a neat row on drink bottles sat on the front step, and a group of smiling Glee Clubbers were gathered in the Hall clutching their tin foil wrapped apple shortcakes.

"Let's go then!" Rachel said enthusiastically, and they all turned to follow her out.

They passed the bottles and each grabbed one. The four extras were given to Artie to carry, who they knew would keep an eye on them.

…

About twenty metres down the path, Kurt, who was pushing Artie wheelchair, sighed.

"I'm already thirsty." He groaned.

"Same," Mike said from behind him. "We should have drunk something before we left."

"Artie, do you mind if I grab on of the spare bottles so I don't waste all my water before we get there?"

"No problem," Artie said, and Kurt reached into his side pocket to grab a bottle.

"Kurt wait!" Blaine said, trying to take the bottle out of his hands. "Give this one to Mike, and take another."

"No point wasting water." Kurt shrugged. "If Mike doesn't mind he can just drink out of this when I'm done."

"Yeah that's fine. Easier to open just one bottle," Mike said.

Kurt tipped the bottle up and took a good long drink before passing it to Mike. Mike almost drank all of it. They passed the rest back to Artie, who stowed the bottle away.

"You guys okay back there?" Puck yelled, and they realised that everyone had kept walking and only just noticed their absence.

"Coming! Sorry!" Blaine called.

…

When they got to the lake, Finn clapped his hands loudly for silence.

"Okay," He said. "Who thinks they're the best swimmers here? Who wants to swim out?"

"I will," Mike Chang said. The determination was back in his voice.

There were some short conversations among to others and then Mercedes stepped forward.

"I'll try," She offered.

"Are you sure?" Finn looked confused. He hadn't expected Mercedes.

"Yeah, did you not see me the other day? I leapt right in the water and out-swam all you guys." Mercedes said, challenge in her eyes.

"That was a little different." Mr Schue said. "That was just messing around. This is a serious long-distance swim. Only the best are attempting it. We're all in our swimming togs just in case, but not _everyone_ is going out there."

"You think because I'm a girl I can't do it? Or because of my body I can't do it?" Mercedes asked, one eyebrow raised. "Because I think after spending _every_ summer at the beach with my family, I can swim just fine. Ask Sam. He was there with me last summer."

Sam was blushing, but he nodded vigorously. "She's _really_ good."

"So can I swim? I swear I'm good enough." Mercedes said. The rest of the Glee Club nodded and agreed. Mr Schue's opinion had been over ridden again.

"I'll swim too if you want." Puck said with a shrug. "After all that pool cleaning I'd better be used to the water by now."

"But can you actually _swim _swim? Not mess around in the water swim." Quinn asked.

"Yeah, I can do _both_." Puck said as if it were obvious.

The mutters among everyone else continued. Now that they'd reached the shore and seen the choppy water and felt the cold wind, they weren't as keen to go. In the back of the group, Santana and Blaine were arguing.

"I can be the last person if you want." Kurt offered. "I'm a fair swimmer. Not as good as these guys, but if no one else wants to I'll go."

"No, I'll go!" Blaine said rather abruptly, stepping away from Santana. "I'm a great swimmer. I was in an after-school swim team at Dalton for a while."

"Oh, I forgot about that!" Kurt gasped, grabbing Blaine's arm to propel him forward. "Blaine's amazing. Let him swim."

Blaine stepped forward looking a little smug at Kurt's praise.

"Okay, off you go I guess." Artie said.

"Oh, and Kurt?" Blaine asked, just as they began to wade into the water. "If anything happens, don't swim out to save us, okay? You aren't as good a swimmer as Santana or Sam so let them handle it, okay?"

Kurt looked offended.

"_Okay_ Blaine." He snapped.

Blaine opened his mouth to say something. He glanced around as he did so, and people quickly avoided his eye and loudly encouraged Mercedes, Puck and Mike to cover up the fact that they were listening to something that Blaine obviously wanted to keep quiet.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe." Blaine said in hushed, pleading tones.

"I know." Kurt's smile was stiff and didn't reach his eyes. "Just go on Blaine. Don't worry about me. Go and risk your life swimming out to protect me, because I'm obviously too weak and precious to do anything myself."

"Kurt-" Blaine started. But Kurt turned his back on Blaine and stalked a wee way up the shore, very deliberately hooking an arm through Quinn's and joining her in wishing Mercedes luck. Quinn cast a very awkward glance at Blaine, who looked frustrated and guilty.

"Are you all ready to swim?" Finn asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes." Blaine said sharply, turning to wade out deeper.

"Yes," said the others, moving to join him.

They pushed off together and slowly kicked out. The Club watched from the shore, arms wrapped around themselves as the wind whipped their hair and settled calmer again. Kurt was still frowning as Blaine's figure disappeared.

It was a few minutes before Finn, the first to move, pulled Rachel back to sit on the ground beside Artie's chair with him.

"Well, it's a long wait." Finn said. "We better get comfortable."

"The shore looks so far away." Sam said, hunkering down beside him. "I hope Mercedes is okay. She'd better judge the distance and turn back if she can't make it."

The rest took their own seats.

"Mercedes?" Quinn asked, with a knowing look in her eye.

"Uh, and everyone else." Sam said quickly. "I hope _everyone's_ safe."

"Especially Mercedes, since you like her." Quinn said smugly.

Sam seemed torn for a moment and then he just sighed and said. "Please don't tell Mercedes."

"We won't." Quinn grinned. "I hope you can tell her yourself though."

"You guys would be super cute." Rachel agreed. "I'd love to hear your voices together. I want to see what you sound like. You should plan a duet."

Finn laughed and planted a kiss on her head, finding it sweet how her mind jumped to singing even at a time like this.

"I hope Mike doesn't do something reckless." Artie said. He'd been watching the swimmers with a furrowed brow. "I almost didn't want to send him. But then I realised he would go anyway."

"He really has gone a bit nuts." Brittany said sadly.

"I feel so bad for him." Finn shook his head.

"There's nothing we can do." Rachel laid a hand on his arm.

The swimmers were quite far out now. They moved at a fairly even pace, close together. No one was really breaking out in front yet. They were at least fifty metres from the shore. But they were still _very_ far off the half-way point, and nowhere near actually getting to the other side.

Quinn still had her arm around Kurt, but she didn't look at him until he abruptly moved and she turned just in time to see him dash away a tear as it fell.

"Kurt, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah just peachy thank you." Kurt said sarcastically. He sniffed and quickly dabbed at his eyes to get rid of the tears before they spilt over. "I love it when Blaine goes and risks his life for me and thinks I'm incapable of doing the same for him. It's so nice to know that your boyfriend has no faith in your abilities."

"Kurt I don't think that's what he meant." Quinn said gently. Everyone was watching Kurt uncertainly.

"What if he drowns?" Kurt choked the words out. "What if he drowns and he's ordered me not to swim out and save him. So I'll feel terrible whether I swim out or not. One way I'll betray his dying wish, another way I'll be standing on the shore and feel like it's my fault he dies, and the other way he'll yell at me for risking my life to save him. And what if he doesn't drown, but he continues to baby me this whole time? What if he dies thinking it's his duty to die because _apparently_ I can't save him?"

"I think he just wanted to best swimmers out there." Rachel's voice was trying too hard to sound bright.

"Well maybe he did, and he _is_ a better swimmer than me, but that still doesn't mean he had to give that order after, and tell me I can't go in the water." Kurt said. "And it's not the first time he's done something like this. He just keeps being so protective of me."

"Talk to him about it, Kurt." Quinn reached out a hand and waited to let Kurt chose if he would take it or not. "Tell him how you feel. You know Blaine will respect you if you explain where you're coming from. He just loves you a little too much sometimes."

Kurt's muscles all tightened with annoyance before he breathed out and relaxed again. He took Quinn's hand.

"I know," he said, "I just wish I could prove I love him just as much."

"He knows that, Kurt." Quinn whispered, squeezing him into a tighter hug just for a moment. "He knows."

There was an awkward pause as Kurt gathered himself again. Quinn was still rubbing slow comforting circles with the hand wrapped around him. Santana determinedly started a conversation, making the topic about the new dress she'd been planning on buying. It effectively distracted Kurt, as she'd hoped. Normal conversation picked up again.

"Guys, they're stopping!" Sam leapt to his feet several minutes later, and the rest followed suit. He was peering out at where the swimmers had stopped to bob in the water, having a conversation.

"What's happening!" Rachel yelled at the top of her lungs. The distant figures turned to face them.

"Some of us our getting tired!" Blaine yelled back. "We're not sure if we'll make it; we aren't even half-way!"

"Can some carry on?" Finn shouted.

"Yes! For a bit longer. But Mercedes and Puck might have to turn back soon!" Blaine replied.

"I'm good for now!" Mercedes shouted. "Let's keep going!"

"Oh no," Artie muttered as they began swimming again. "They're just over a quarter of the way. I don't think they'll make it."

"They might." Brittany said hopefully.

"Yeah, Blaine and Mike are still okay, aren't they?" Sam added.

As they stood and watched a little longer. The swimmers seemed to still cut steadily through the water. They seemed okay.

Suddenly Kurt groaned. They all turned to look at him. He stumbled a little. As his feet slipped backwards Santana caught him and held him upright. Kurt hunched over in her arms, with a hand on his eyes. Rachel stepped forward, looking very worried.

"Kurt?" she asked uncertainly.

"I'm okay," His voice sounded fuzzy. "I'm just a little dizzy all of a sudden. It must be head-rush or something. I stood up too fast."

"It's setting in pretty late to be head-rush." Artie said.

Kurt swayed again, and squeezed his eyes shut. He lifted his hand from his eyes to his head.

"My head…ow…" he voice trailed off and his eyes reeled around him to look at each face, before his legs gave out from under him. Santana managed to catch him under the arms as he started to slip through from her grip, and lowered him gently to the ground.

"Kurt, you need to sit upright for a moment. I think there's something wrong." Mr Schue crouched in front of him.

"I bet he's been poisoned!" Rachel gasped, her hands flying to her mouth to stifle a startled sob.

"No I'm okay." Kurt said, but it was a faint, sleepy mumble. He hand kneaded at his forehead. "I just have a headache."

His vision was blurred and he found himself a little confused as to whether he was looking up at Rachel or Santana. Maybe it was both of them. One beside the other. Kurt couldn't tell.

His eyelids felt so heavy. Maybe if he slept it would stop the pounding in his brain. But he didn't want to sleep. Blaine was swimming and he wanted to watch, and see what happened. Maybe they had some painkillers he could take. They might make the headache go away.

But his eyelids were so heavy. He was being dragged into sleep. He couldn't fight it.

His head tipped backwards and he lost consciousness.

Rachel screamed.

In mere seconds, Quinn was as Kurt's side, ignoring Rachel's sobs and feeling his pulse.

"He's still alive." She said. "Shhh, Rachel he's alive."

Rachel fell to her knees beside him as well.

"Well he could die any moment. What do we do?" She gasped, clutching Kurt's limp hand in her own.

"How did he get poisoned though? We were so careful." Quinn asked. Tears were forming in her eyes and she kept her fingers pressed to Kurt's inner wrist, taking comfort in his steady pulse and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"The drink bottle!" Artie gasped. "He drank from one of the bottles when we were walking down here. Anyone could have filled it, because they're all identical and we just filled them and dumped them to pick up later. Someone poisoned it."

Finn let lose the first sound he'd made since Kurt collapsed. It was a strangled choking gasp, and it made everyone flinch. Finn still stood frozen in front of his little brother, who continued to breathe on the ground. He seemed unable to think. _None_ of them were thinking clearly, except Artie, whose mind was in overdrive.

"Oh no!" Artie gasped, and he turned to face the water. "Kurt wasn't the only one who drank from the bottle. Mike!"

He yelled the last name, and saw before his own eyes that he was right. Whatever was in the bottle was starting to affect Mike (who had drunk shortly after Kurt) as well.

…

Mike had been swimming steadily for a long time. He was getting a little tired, but he was still determined to make it to the other side. It was hard to tell how far they'd swum, but he could tell it was a long way. Blaine was a little ahead of him to his right, and he could sense Mercedes and Puck just a little way behind him.

But as he swum he suddenly felt an odd dizzy sensation, and quickly took a gulp of air, wondering if he wasn't breathing regularly enough. Lack of oxygen could cause dizziness, and that was the last thing he wanted right now. But breathing didn't help so he stopped in the water for a moment.

At first he thought he'd heard someone shout his name as he stopped swimming. But then he realised he could hardly hear anything well. The slapping of the water seemed to come through a tunnel. He could hear it still, but it was distorted.

And then the headache hit him and he bobbed wildly for a moment to clutch at his head. He kicked quickly and tried to keep his pace going, but he'd lost the others. He didn't even know which way the shore was. His vision was blurred.

He eyes were so heavy, and he was sinking again. A great roaring blackness had opened in his mind. He was so tired. He couldn't resist as a force pulled him into the world of the sleeping.

Mike stopped swimming and began to float back. The water jostled his body as he slept, but slowly he started to sink. In his deep slumber, he didn't hear Artie screaming Blaine's name, Puck's name and Mercedes' name from the shore. He didn't hear as other voices joined in. He simply slept peacefully.

Them the water swallowed him entirely and he was sinking. His lungs began to scream for air but he still slept on. His mouth opened and water flooded in, choking him and filling his lungs.

Suddenly firm arms slammed into his waist and he was jerked upright. Another pair joined them, even stronger, and began to drag him to shore. But he couldn't breathe and he didn't wake up.

Instead the steady beating of his heart slowed as no oxygen came in to keep it going. Instead water sloshed in his lungs.

As Blaine and Puck dragged him through the water with a frantic Mercedes following, Mike's heart stopped altogether.

* * *

please review!


	15. The Frog Prince

Here's the next chapter, and I will also clear a few thing up for those who are confused.

Some think the killer was from off the island, but I can promise you that's not true. It is one of the gleeks with them now. No one has snuck on. This is obvious if you look at the chapters with the thoughts.

Someone also worried that it would not be one of the live gleeks, again look at the thoughts and you can see that the amount of people thinking reduces with each death.

Also, in response to G13 saying that it was a bit of a stretch that they were so careful about food and didn't consider water, my reasoning was that Artie and the others were very focused on the swimming. They knew they had the empty bottles, and figured the water was coming from the tank. Thye knew the killer wouldn't poison them all at once, so they didn't concern themselves with the water. As for food, that had been poisoned before and they grabbed pre-packaged stuff just to be safe. It may still seem like a stretch to some, sorry. But that was just how I thought it out.

So anyway, enjoy!

* * *

They dragged Mike's body on shore and were immediately crowded with people trying to work out what was happening. Blaine, who had been the first to grab a hold of Mike, was exhausted and flopped to the ground beside Mercedes and Puck, who had already collapsed.

"He'd dead." Blaine choked the words out to his friends who were still kneeling beside Mike and checking for signs of life, with tear filled eyes. "We could feel it, just as we got nearer to the shore. You could feel the life leave him. And we checked his pulse as we swam. He's dead."

Puck's face was buried in his hands, his features crumpled with tears. Sam had fallen to his knees beside Mercedes and she was crying into his shoulder.

"That doesn't make any sense." Quinn said. She was still kneeling beside Kurt with her fingers pressed to his inner wrist, counting each beat of his heart. "Kurt's still alive. How did the poison not affect them the same way?"

"What?" Blaine was aghast. He turned to see Kurt's body for the first time and flew to his other side. He took Kurt's other arm and felt his pulse as well.

"Oh my god," Blaine sobbed. "Kurt? Can you hear me?"

"He's been out for a while, but his heart is steady." Quinn told Blaine.

Blaine glanced back to Mike and then gripped Kurt's shoulders tightly, shaking him.

"Kurt, wake up!" He said desperately. Finn's am landed on his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Dude, careful. You'll give him brain damage or something." Finn said in threatening tones.

Blaine stopped shaking his boyfriend immediately and fell back to take up a similar position to Quinn.

"I think I know what happened," Artie said suddenly. The shocked array of people turned their pained eyes from Mike, to Artie. Artie seemed to be holding back tears a well, and possibly he was only managing it because he was turning all his focus on the puzzle in front of him.

"What?" Quinn asked, eyes still on Kurt.

"It wasn't a poison made to kill them. The killer knew anyone could have drunk from the bottle, and they wouldn't want to risk their plans. Instead it was a sleeping draught. Because that way they could have known _Mike_ would swim out, and ensured that if anyone else had drunk from the same bottle, they didn't go into the water." Artie explained. He cast a sideways glance at Blaine as he said this. "So this way, Mike and Kurt both took the sleeping draught. Kurt fell asleep on shore, surrounded by friends and safe. Mike fell asleep while swimming and he drowned."

"That makes sense." Santana agreed.

"Well when's Kurt waking up?" Blaine asked. He was still crying over Mike, but was trying to push past it.

"I don't know." Artie said.

Now that his theory had been accepted, he was having a lot more trouble keeping his attention away from Mike. The sight of Brittany's body shaking with violent but quiet sobbing, and Santana gulping for air; the sight of Puck, Mercedes and Sam completely broken; of Rachel disappearing into Finn arms as she clung so tightly she seemed she'd never let go, and Finn trying to be strong; the sight of Blaine and Quinn only holding themselves together by using all their energy to will Kurt to life again; and lastly the sight of Will on his knees with a steady stream of tears obscuring his vision, only made everything harder to bear. So Artie began to cry as well.

No one was quite sure just how long they sat there, sobbing over Mike's body, but sometime later, Quinn let out a loud gasp of excitement, and Blaine followed suit by crying "Kurt!"

And then everyone was watching as Kurt tried to sit up, and fell back again, clutching his head.

"Wh-What?" Kurt asked shakily. This time Quinn supported him and helped him upright while Blaine took both his hands and gazed into his blurry blue eyes.

"Did you get to the other shore?" Kurt asked him groggily. "Are we being rescued?"

Blaine almost laughed at the cruel irony of reality. His smile twisted with tears and he whispered a soft "No."

"Then what's happening?" Kurt's voice was slightly slurred. "Did I pass out?"

"You sure did, sweetie." Santana said. Kurt looked surprised by the pet name, and his eyes moved in an attempt to focus on Santana's face. She looked very grim.

"Rachel," Kurt suddenly said, and turned to see her with her chin resting on Finn's folding arms. "Oh no, Rachel said I was poisoned,"

"You were, but not the way we first thought." It was Artie speaking now, and Kurt's head gave another pang as he tried to focus on him.

"It was just something to put you to sleep." Quinn said. Her voice came from behind Kurt, and he decided it wasn't worth another stab under his skull to turn and look at her.

Artie began to explain how he had drunk from the bottle in the forest and that had contained some sort of sleeping draught. As he did so, Kurt felt his headache fade slowly away. His vision was clearing and as Artie got to the part in his story where Kurt had passed out, Kurt suddenly realised where the story was going before it went there.

"Mike," Kurt breathed. "Mike drank some of the water."

His gaze left Artie's face, and he felt the tension in both Quinn and Blaine as his eyes swept the area. He saw Mike's body lying in front of Brittany and Santana. Immediately Kurt tried to stand and toppled backwards.

"What happened?" He asked as some of the pain returned to his skull. He took in the tear-stained faces around him. As his eyes landed on Blaine, the one he knew would tell him the truth, he asked his question with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. "When's he waking up?"

"Kurt he's-" Blaine's breaths shuddered as they shook through his throat. This was the last thing he wanted to have to tell Kurt when Kurt was already so vulnerable. "He's not waking up."

Kurt's face fell and his eyes darted between both of Blaine's as he looked for some hint that his boyfriend was joking.

"That's not funny." Kurt said.

"It's not a joke." Quinn's voice kind, but firm. She wasn't lying.

"But we drank the same stuff." Kurt's eyes were wide. "He should be sleeping."

"He was swimming." Artie said slowly. It was obviously hard for him to go through it all again, "So he didn't just sleep. He… sank."

Kurt turned back to Mike. Pure anguish crossed his face as he realised just what this all meant.

"So he's dead?" Kurt's voice cracked and he began to cry. It started everyone off with fresh sobbing of their own.

For some reason this seemed even harder than the past deaths, though each had taken its own toll on them. Joe, being the first and their heart of faith and support; Sugar, being the youngest and seemingly untouchable; Tina being such a good steady friend; Emma as the mother of the group, had each hit a heavy blow.

But Mike's death was suddenly too much to handle. He'd seemed so alone, despite being surrounded by all his friends. After Tina had died he had lost everything. It had killed all of them to see the pain he'd been put through. They hadn't known how to help, and now they never could. And the steady figure Mike had been… was gone.

They were going to miss Mike so much.

…

The walk back to the Cabin was depressingly quiet, and the silence was only broken by the sobs that Brittany still hadn't choked down yet. When they returned to the Cabin they put Mike's body in the room that Tina's was in, and it was almost too much to bear to see them lying beside each other like that.

The crying seemed to finally run dry and they ate the apple shortcake they'd taken with them to the lake. Lunch was another long stretch of silence. The only break was Artie berating himself for only thinking about keeping the food safe, and not considering the water. He'd been in a rush to escape by swimming away and he'd never had it occur to him that someone could put something in the _water._ The Glee kids all told him to stop beating himself up, but the self-hatred was still in the back of Artie's mind.

When it was over and the foil wrappings thrown away, Sam tentatively asked. "Should we look for a fairytale?"

"Yes let's look." Puck wanted something to do- Something to take his mind off the feeling of Mike's limp body in his arms.

"Where do we look?" Santana asked.

"What about _with _the bottles?" Quinn suggested.

Artie quickly opened his side pocket and threw out the bottle that Kurt and Mike had drunk from. As it clattered along the ground, they could see a red dot carefully drawn on the top of the lid. The bottle had even been marked, and they hadn't noticed. Artie threw the other spares down too. He dug around in the bottom and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"You're right, Quinn." Artie said. "It's right here."

He unfolded the paper and started to read the words written on it.

"_Once Upon a Time there was a frog that lived alone in a pond. One day he talked to a pretty princess crying by the edge of the pond. 'I have dropped my golden ball' she told him 'and I cannot get it out, for I cannot swim well enough.' Now the frog was a good swimmer, so he proposed that he would go to collect the ball for her. They made a deal, and the frog dived in to search._

_As your frog prince swam, risking his life to win you the 'golden ball' that is freedom from this island, he found it quite a struggle. Like the frog prince in the tale, your own one had no idea that he wouldn't share in the freedom he sought. _

_Your frog prince drowned, still looking for a way to live._

_The end."_

Artie finished and screwed the paper into a ball, tossing it to the floor. It was pure disgust that marred his features. No one wanted to break the silence. But Artie felt that there was something else he had to say.

"I don't think you are the killer, Blaine." Artie said carefully. "But I _have_ to ask you about today. Because possibly you know who the killer is, in which case we must know too, or you have some other explanation. Either way I need to hear it Blaine. Why did you do it?"

"What?" Blaine looked genuinely confused. Everyone was watching him with equal bewilderment on their faces. Only Quinn seemed to start understanding what was going on.

"I think you know what I'm talking about." Artie said. "And you're lucky that I trust you enough to hear your side of the story. It's a dangerous game you're playing."

"Artie I seriously have no idea what-" Blaine started to say.

"No I get it." Quinn said. "Artie's right, it's pretty suspicious. But I'm sure you have your reasons."

"For what?" Blaine's eyes were huge and confused.

"The drink bottle," Artie said "When Kurt picked it up you leapt in very quickly to tell him to pass the bottle to Mike instead and get a new one. Did you see someone put something inside, Blaine? Because if you did we must know who it was."

The Glee Club seemed to realise what Artie and Quinn were getting at now. They turned to face Blaine. Then the last thing anyone had expected, happened.

Kurt burst out laughing.

It made everyone turn nervously to see him. They looked a little scared.

"Oh gosh, no," Kurt chortled. "Blaine's just really silly about hygiene and stuff."

Blaine smiled bashfully, and laid a hand on Kurt's knee. "It's not funny." He mumbled, a flush creeping onto his face.

"I mean, have you seen him? He eats sandwiches with a knife and fork! He was probably just worried about me and Mike sharing 'germs' and getting sick." Kurt's laughter had calmed a little now. "His family were really stern about it when he was little. No sharing drink bottles with friends and stuff."

"That still doesn't explain why Blaine knew that after Kurt had drunk the water, he Kurt couldn't go swimming. It was like he knew Kurt would fall asleep in the water and drown as well." Quinn said. "What was that about?"

"You answered that one, Quinn." Rachel said. "By the lake you said it; Blaine loves Kurt too much."

"I had no idea about the sleeping stuff." Blaine agreed. "I just didn't want Kurt risking anything swimming out so far. Imagine if something went wrong and I was drowning, and Kurt swam out to save me. He would be in the same dangerous waters and possibly drown too."

"We need to talk about that later, actually." Kurt said with slightly narrowed eyes.

"But for now, at least, we know it still isn't Blaine." Santana said. "Not that you'll ever be off my list, Blaine. You just aren't at the top any longer."

Finn looked around at the relieved smiles of the Club. His brow furrowed to see them accept this story.

"Hold _on_!" Finn said loudly, standing up. "How do we know it's not Blaine?"

"We already worked out he was framed with the axe, and I never thought he was the killer. So I knew there would be an explanation for this too." Artie said. "Did you not hear Blaine explain? It wasn't him."

"Yeah, I _heard_ him. But who says he's not lying?" Finn waved a hand in Blaine's direction. "He's a charismatic guy! He could have us all fooled."

"Finn, please," Kurt sounded totally exasperated. "Sit down and calm down. Blaine wouldn't do this."

"Yeah well you're the worst of all." Finn said. "Blaine probably has you tricked easier than anyone else. I know what you're like when you get crushes. Who says Blaine isn't using you so no one suspect him of murder."

"Finn!" Kurt's face was red with annoyance.

"Your Dad always says your heart's too big for your own good, Kurt. You _trust_ people. Well _I_ don't _trust_ Blaine." Finn said.

"You are so _out of line_, it's not even funny." Kurt's voice shook and though he stood up as he said it, Finn still towered over him.

At least with Kurt standing, Blaine was tucked away behind him. For once Blaine was letting Kurt protect him. Those watching imagined how tiny Blaine would seem trying to stand up to Finn.

"I'm your big brother. It's _never_ out of line when I'm trying to protect you." Finn growled into Kurt's face.

Kurt let out a scream of rage and frustration. His hands flew wildly as he kicked the nearest seat, controlling his temper enough not to kick Finn. Then he stormed to the door.

"I'm _sick," _He screamed "Of everyone trying to protect me!"

And with that Kurt was gone, the door slamming behind him and rocking the windows with the force sent shuddering through the walls.

"Someone follow him please." Mr Schue sounded tired. "Three people, I don't want him alone."

Mercedes, Rachel and Quinn stood up. Santana was about to follow, but Brittany clung to her and she stayed without a second thought.

"I'm watching you." Finn told Blaine, now looming over him as Kurt's body no longer shielded his path. Blaine cowered in Finn's shadow. "I know it's you killing people, even if everyone else fell for your 'nice guy' act."

"Sit down, Finn." Mr Schue taking sudden authority again made Finn come to his senses, stumble back and sit down again.

The room was silent.

After five minutes, the door opened and Rachel stormed up to Finn, Kurt, Mercedes and Quinn trailing behind. Kurt sat between Quinn and Puck and didn't look at Finn. He did smile encouragingly at Blaine however.

Rachel took her place beside Finn, her hand squeezing his arm as she hissed into his ear.

"…can't accuse… rude… Blaine… and he'd never… don't know what you're thinking… not the killer… poor Kurt… your own brother…" Bits of Rachel's furious whispers carried across the Room.

"Everyone, I think we need to calm down." Will said.

"Easy for you to say now. Where was your calm when Mike was drowning by the lake?" Santana asked. "You know we might have needed that to keep us strong. But you haven't really been the best teacher recently."

Will's already heavy heart sunk into his toes.

"What I would like to know," Artie said, before Santana could begin to take out her frustration on Mr Schue again. "Is how the swimming went. Do you think that you'd have made it if nothing had gone wrong?"

"No," Puck and Mercedes said at the same time.

"I would have had to give up pretty soon." Mercedes said. "I might have made it a third of the way."

"Me too," Puck agreed. "I wouldn't have gotten all the way there."

"Blaine?" Sam asked, turning to their last hope. "What about you."

"I couldn't have done it. I'm so sorry," Blaine said. "I just wouldn't have lasted that long. I don't think we should try again."

There was a collective sigh as that route of escape was lost to them.

"So, now what do we do?" Mercedes question hung in the air like something grotesque. No one wanted to look too closely at it. No one knew the answer.

…

Sam was staring at Mercedes. In the silence that followed her question he saw her sink back into her seat. He couldn't stand it any longer.

"Mercedes Jones," He said, and stood up before he could think better of it. Everyone was watching him now.

"Sam _Evans_?" she asked, looking confused at his sudden use of her last name.

"You look really nice today." He said lamely, aware that he looked like such a dork standing in front of her in front of the whole Glee Club. As he shuffled awkwardly, he found himself dropping to one knee in front of Mercedes.

"Oh no," Quinn clapped a hand to her forehead as she realised what was happening.

"I- uh- I don't have a ring." Sam said, peering nervously at the object of his affections.

"Are you proposing?" Mercedes gasped. Despite herself, she found it sweet to see Sam on his knees with his heart in his eyes. She smiled weakly through her shock.

"No, not really. I don't think so. Do you want me to?" Sam asked in a rush.

"Gosh, no, we're a bit young aren't we?" Mercedes said breathlessly.

"Yeah but I…" Sam's head ducked as he stumbled over his words.

"He's trying to give you a promise ring." Quinn smiled warmly at Mercedes. "Without a ring,"

"Oh?" It sounded like a question.

"Yeah, she's right." Sam said. "But I'm more sure this time. I'm so sure I want to be with you Mercedes. After today, when I realised how easily it could have been you who drowned out there, I knew I had to tell you everything. Nothing could ever make me doubt it. I want to be with you. I want to look after you and stand by you."

Mercedes pressed a fluttering hand to her chest as she watched him.

"So I promise to always look to see that you're okay. I promise to stay by you whenever I can. I promise to love you and protect you. I promise that if we get out of here I will take you out every time you feel lonely, and be whoever you want me to be for you. I promise that I will love you, Mercedes." Sam finished his speech with a nervous smile. "I hope you love me too."

"You're such a dork, Sam." Mercedes grinned. Sam's face fell, but she hadn't finished yet. "The _best_ dork."

And then she slipped off her seat to her knees as well and threw her arms around his neck. Though she'd initially planned on a hug, Sam slipped a hand under her chin and tipped her face up. Carefully, as if she were something precious, he kissed her.

It was a while before they realised that the people around them were clapping and laughing. They pulled back with embarrassment and Sam's eyes remained locked on Mercedes lips as she licked them.

"Took you long enough, Sam," Blaine cheered. He was joined by other voices. They were caught up in the moment of joy and no one wanted to let it go.

Sam and Mercedes union was the best thing that had happened to any of them in a long time.

* * *

And once again review! I'm so pleased with all the response to this so far and I want to keep hearing from you. Thanks guys!


	16. The Fourth Night

More suspicions roused in this chapter, with more framing/discovery of evidence depending on what you believe and at the very bottom, the second last lot of thoughts. As I've said, the thoughts probably give you the best clues on what's happening. So that's how you've known so far that the killer is alive, and one of the Glee Club members rather than someone else. I'm starting to think, however, that the thoughts are going to begin giving away too much so I will use them only one more time after they're used in this chapter. As number get smaller I don't want to make things too obvious.

Right now Finn is still a top suspect (I'm impressed with you guys for picking up on things like Kurt and Rachel, the people Finn's closest too, still being alive), and so are Blaine and Mercedes and Sam. Once again thanks for all the feedback! I'm loving it!

* * *

After Sam and Mercedes had shared their kiss and everyone had settled again, they went to get dinner. It was one of the meals planned from before the killings had started: lasagne. Mr Schue showed them where everything was and they all made the meal together, watching each other carefully every step of the way.

When the meal had been cooked, everyone served themselves, watching those before them with suspicious eyes. But nothing was poisoned, and when they sat down and began to eat, the chatter picked back up again.

"… So then Blaine thought it'd be funny to buy the shirt and use it as a Halloween costume…" Kurt was finishing a story as he walked to stack his plate in the dishwasher when it happened.

Puck's hand flew out to stop him and Kurt flinched and came to a halt.

"What's that?" Puck asked, looking down at Kurt's legs.

"Hmm?" Kurt tipped a foot up and tilted his head slightly to see what Puck had seen.

"That," Puck repeated, jabbing a finger at the white thing poking out from the top of Kurt's tall boots.

Kurt balanced his plate and cutlery in one hand and reached the other down the side of his boot, tugging the white thing out.

"I don't know," His brow furrowed as he tried to read it. But Puck yanked it out of his hands.

Kurt realised that everyone was frozen and staring at them with their forks halfway to their mouths.

"_Will cause heavy drowsiness. Keep out of reach of children. Do not consume before driving, swimming, or other activities requiring concentration." _ Puck read the sticker that had been stuck down on the outside of the packaging. He looked up at Kurt with raised eyebrows.

"I've never seen that before." Kurt said with huge eyes.

Puck flipped the tab of the packet open and tipped out the blister pack inside. Two pills had been popped out of it. Two spaces, empty. Puck grabbed the packet again and read the smaller writing.

"_Two pills for 500 ml." _Puck read. "Seriously, Kurt?"

"I have no idea what that is." Kurt said.

His eyes flew up and scanned the room. They passed over Blaine, Rachel and Finn. He seemed to be begging for help.

"You had a freaking pill packet in your boot, Kurt." Puck slammed the thing back down on the table, "And judging by the size of those water bottles and the amount of pills missing, I think we just found the exact packet used to kill Mike Chang."

"Puck, I didn't," Kurt looked very scared. "I swear it wasn't me. I wasn't even wearing those boots until we got changed out of our swimming togs before dinner, and I put them on then."

"Kurt, this is pretty suspicious." Rachel stated.

Kurt's eyes were filling with tears. His best friend seemed to think he was the killer.

"I was framed, I swear." Kurt's lower lip trembled. "I had no idea."

"Did Kurt kill Mike, Santana? I don't understand." Brittany's quiet whisper seemed to be the last straw for Kurt. For the second time that day Kurt ran to the door, flinging it open behind him.

"Kurt!" Blaine yelled. The door smacked against the wall and Blaine ran right out after Kurt.

He could see Kurt running for his room, feet pounding on the ground.

"They don't really think it's you, Kurt." Blaine called. His boyfriend froze and turned to face him.

"Oh really?" Kurt asked. "Then why would they accuse me?"

"They're just shocked. Deep down, they know it couldn't be you." Blaine moved quickly to Kurt's side and took his hands.

"No, Blaine that's not true. They don't accuse unless they're serious. You think they'd want to put me in this much pain if they didn't mean it?" Kurt asked.

"I think they just spoke out of shock." Blaine stepped forwards and cupped Kurt's face in his hands, staring into his eyes. "They'll realise it wasn't you. Give them time to think."

"It really wasn't me, Blaine. I've never seen that packet before. I don't know who put it in my shoe." Kurt whispered, his eyes searching Blaine's face. "I'm so scared."

"I know," Blaine leaned in a gave Kurt a brief peck on the lips. "We'll be okay."

They turned to find Sam behind them.

"Sorry," He said "No one can be alone, so I uh came out here. Uh, you can come back in Kurt. Puck wanted to say sorry, I think. Either way, we're going to listen to your side of the story."

Kurt gulped, but nodded. He held his head high, Blaine's hand gripped tightly in his, and stalked back into the room. Through his proud exterior, everyone in the room could see the shock and hurt in his expression. They knew that the same way Blaine had been framed; Kurt might have been framed just as easily.

"I'm sorry," Puck said, "I was just surprised. I didn't expect to find anything like that."

"That's-" Kurt paused and took a deep breath. "That's okay, Noah."

"Cool," Puck leaned back with a grin.

"I know it's stupid to hope that any of you know I'm innocent at this stage, because right now everyone's a suspect. But I do hope you guys realise this pill thing could belong to anyone as easily as it could belong to me. I hope it doesn't change your opinions on me." Kurt said. He still looked terrified of more rejection.

There were carful nods around the room. Kurt couldn't know what was going through their minds, but he could hope that they understood how easy it was for anyone to have framed him. He hoped they realised that he had been very far from any suspects lists, so any killer who was smart would have framed him to make him seem more suspicious. He hoped they understood how silly it would have been for him to have drunk the sleeping draught that gave him such an awful headache and left him so confused. He hoped they realised, but he didn't mention this, for fear of it sounding like he was making excuses.

"Let's just get ready for bed and forget all of this." Mr Schue said firmly, slapping a hand to Kurt's shoulder and not noticing how he winced.

…

Santana, Brittany and Blaine all stood brushing their teeth in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Some people were in showers and toilets, some were getting changed in their bedrooms.

"Blaine, I think I believe you." Santana said. "I think I'll take you off my list of suspects."

"What?" Blaine spluttered, his toothbrush almost falling from his hand and dangling comically from the corner of his mouth.

"Well I _know_ you love Kurt. So even if you hated all of us enough to kill us, you would _never_ frame Kurt for it. And as for the thing with the drink bottle, I've already been faced with your silly germ phobia when it comes to sharing food and water. You told me off for it back when we were still in school." Santana gave her teeth a last scrub, grinned at herself in the mirror, and tossed her toothbrush back into her toiletries bag. "I just believe you."

"Thank you," Blaine's eyes were welling with tears of gratitude. "Thank you so much Santana."

"Okay stop with the blubbering." Santana rolled her eyes. She grabbed her bag and moved across to the last free shower cubicle.

Blaine smiled after her.

"Santana thinks it's Finn or Rachel now." Brittany told Blaine.

Blaine looked over to see that Brittany was brushing every tooth individually. He held back a laugh at the sight. Kurt had told him about the dentist that had given Brittany a toothbrush for the first time the year before. It seemed that Brittany still brushed her teeth strangely. At least it was hygienic.

"I think it would be Rachel." Brittany continued, moving to brush at a back molar, and making her voice muffled. "Becash shesh alwaysh sho accushing af other people."

Blaine nodded uncertainly.

"And shesh the head af the club sho no one shushpects her mush. Shesh a good actress too." Brittany finished with a shrug and started to wash her toothbrush.

"I guess that makes sense." Blaine said. Brittany was watching him as he gave his own brush a quick rinse.

"I don't really understand why Rachel would do this though. That's what has me stumped." Brittany said, with a confused expression on her face as she examined her now clean teeth.

"I don't understand it either Brittany. None of us do." Said Blaine kindly.

"Well I might go to sleep now. Sometimes when I sleep my dreams tell me what's happening. Like that one time I knew Quinn's baby was going to be a girl and become the princess of her own kingdom and I mean the last part hasn't come true yet but it's only a matter of time." Brittany made her way towards the door as she spoke. "So goodnight Blaine."

"Goodnight, Brittany." Blaine said. He took his own sponge bag and headed for an empty shower just as Sam came out, ruffling a towel through his hair.

Sam said a brief hello before settling at a sink and taking out his own toothbrush. Before too long, Quinn joined him.

"Hi Sam," She said, running a brush through her wet hair. "How are you after your little display today?"

"So much better," Sam admitted. "It's amazing how much more stable it feels just to be free of that tension."

"You always did feel more comfortable when you're in a relationship." Quinn observed.

"Yeah," Sam grimaced. "And I fall hard and fast apparently."

"I'm so happy for you and Mercedes." Quinn said. "I know you and I have a lot of history, but though I do love you Sam, I think it was always meant to be a friendship between us; A brotherly, sisterly love."

"I agree," Sam said. "And even though I was sure _that_ was true love at the time, I was wrong. But this time it feels so different. It's far more serious. This whole situation we're in changes everything."

There was a sad pause as their minds drifted to the topic of the deaths.

"Mike," They both whispered at the same time. The word hung in the air and tasted bitter on their tongues.

"I'm going to miss him so much." Sam said.

"Me too," Quinn quickly put her brush away and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Mike was always so funny, and caring, and understanding. He was always there. You know what I mean?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Quinn was quite choked up. She gave Sam a fleeting hug as she passed him.

"You'll be okay tonight?" Quinn asked him.

"I'll be fine." Sam said. "Goodnight Quinn."

…

Quinn returned to her room to find Rachel and Mercedes sitting cross-legged on their beds, arguing.

"Of course I don't want to think it's Kurt!" Mercedes was saying. "I don't even want to consider it."

"Well I think that's naïve." Rachel quipped. "I don't think it's Kurt either. But I want to talk about who might have framed him if that's the case."

"You could have said that at the start!" Mercedes said.

"He's my best friend; you don't think I _know_ he's not killing people?" Rachel growled.

"Girls," Quinn's placating tone broke across their argument and they turned sheepishly to see her closing the door. "Don't fight please."

"Sorry Quinn," Mercedes said as Quinn clambered into the bed between her two friends. "We're a little stressed today."

"I'm sorry Mercedes, I should have explained myself." Rachel's tone was still a little arrogant, but her sincerity was obvious.

"I'm sorry too, I should have listened past the first sentence before getting defensive." Mercedes responded.

"As I was saying then," Rachel continued. "I think Kurt seems the most suspicious now. Because when Blaine was framed it was the axe that he removed from the bag himself, where people could see. But with Kurt, the pills stayed hidden in his boot until _someone else_ found them. The killer framed him better, so that it looked as if he was genuinely trying to hide it. But that's the thing, those boots are huge and I think Kurt would have hidden the pills deeper if he hadn't wanted people to find them. So it's way more likely someone dumped the pills on him."

"That's what I was thinking too." Quinn agreed.

"So who is it?" For the second time that day, Mercedes question went unanswered. Instead, Quinn shuffled along the mattress again and flicked the switch to turn off the lights.

"I remain adamant, I am not speculating." Quinn said. "No guesses from me on who the killer is."

"I think it's Brittany," Mercedes said slowly, as if testing the waters. There was nothing but a surprised silence.

"Brittany?" Rachel asked finally.

"She's so innocent and sweet. There hasn't been much focus on her. She's in Kurt's room and could easily have slipped something into his boots." Mercedes rattled off. "She's also slightly… crazy. I never thought it was this sort of crazy, but someone here's certainly nuts to have killed anyone, and possibly it's Brittany."

"I suppose so," Rachel said thoughtfully.

"But like everyone else, Brittany has an alibi." Quinn said. "The first day she was only alone for about five minutes before Santana and Blaine came to help her unpack. And then Blaine left, but Santana was still with her. Are you saying Santana is helping her?"

"Actually, that's a possibility," Rachel said.

"Guys, I'm serious, this stuff is no point. You have just as much reason to suspect _me,_ or anyone else. Leave Britt and Santana alone." Quinn rolled over and curled into a little ball. "Go to sleep."

"Goodnight," Rachel sighed with annoyance.

"Goodnight," Mercedes said as well.

…

Finn came out of the shower at the same time as Puck did.

"Hey bro," He said to Puck.

"Hi Finn," Puck responded.

They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, and then Puck opened his arms for a hug. Finn felt very relieved, and stepped into them. Tension dissolved from both of them as they felt the support of their best friend. Though they would never admit it, they'd needed this hug. After a moment they made sure to slap each other firmly on the back to keep things manly. They pulled away and coughed, shuffling awkwardly again and trying to regain some dignity.

"So," Puck's tone was overly casual, determined to not seem like a sissy. "I wouldn't leave my toothbrush around if I was you."

"Huh?" Finn asked, turning to where all his things were laid out by the sink at the far end.

"We know the killer uses poisons, and I think an abandoned toothbrush is too much of a temptation." Puck explained.

"Oh yeah, good point." Finn agreed, already gathering up his stuff from where he'd left it on the bench. "Thanks dude."

"Yeah well I don't want you dying." Puck said.

"Good to know," Finn grinned. Puck rolled his eyes and then cleared his throat again.

"Right, well, bedtime?" He suggested. Finn nodded, shoving the last of his stuff into his bag.

"I'm tired." He agreed. The stress of the day, and his little brother being accused, was a little too painful.

But just as they reached the door another cubicle opened and Blaine stepped out. Finn saw Blaine's reflection and reeled round to face him.

"Blaine," He growled.

"Oh hi, uh, Finn," Blaine looked very nervous, clutching his towel and dirty clothes and not meeting Finn's eyes.

"Too bad I took my toothbrush with me." Finn told him. "No poison to kill me tonight."

Blaine just looked up at him, astounded. His tea coloured eyes were huge as he scanned Finn's face, trying to work out if he were joking.

"Nice work trying to frame my little brother." Finn continued. "Didn't work, sorry,"

"I- Kurt- I wouldn't ever-" Blaine stammered. Though he was usually so confident, he seemed to lose it all when faced with the hatred in Finn's tone.

"Tell someone who cares." Finn growled.

"Dude, you have to calm down." Puck warned, as Finn went past him to the door. Puck cast a glance back at Blaine.

"Sorry man," He said, giving Blaine a weak smile. "I know it's not you. Finn's just a little…"

"Yeah, it's okay." Blaine straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Good. See you later then." Puck gave Blaine a pat on the shoulder and quickly went after Finn.

Blaine took a deep breath, running his finger through his damp curls. He was so annoyed at everything. At first Blaine didn't hear the door open behind him.

…

Puck caught up with Finn outside their door. Finn's shoulders were shaking with anger and frustration.

"Finn that was mean." Puck said.

"Yeah well he just killed one of our good friends." Finn snapped. "I have a right to be mean."

"Finn, you don't know that." Puck pulled Finn into the room to find Sam sitting on his bed and Artie flicking through a book in his bed. Mike's was empty, and the whole of that corner was depressing to look at.

"What does Finn not know?" Artie asked, closing his book.

"He still thinks it's Blaine." Puck sighed.

"Even after Kurt was framed?" Artie asked.

"That's the whole thing." Finn said. "I don't think Blaine really loves Kurt. It's just an act. And everyone here fell for it because we were all so happy to see Kurt happy."

"That's-" Sam paused. "That can't be an act."

Finn and Puck got into their beds.

"Have you seen his face when he looks at your brother?" Puck asked.

"Because Blaine's a good actor." Finn said.

"No," Artie shook his head. "He's not _that_ good. I've seen Blaine act, I directed him this year. He's good, but not that good."

"And anyway, I think I know who the killer really is." Puck said. "I think it's Santana."

"But Santana's your friend." Sam said.

"So are everyone else." Puck pointed out. "And Santana is… suspicious."

"Why?" Artie asked, curious.

"She's had holes in all her alibis; moments when she's alone. She's in Kurt's room and was close enough to Brittany that she would have had an excuse for being in Blaine's room when he was framed, if he had woken up and seen her. She always tried to help us work out the killer. And she's just the most obvious option to me." Puck explained. He lay on his back with his fingers linked behind his head.

"She is suspicious." Artie said slowly.

"Look, can we sleep?" Sam asked. "I want to wake up on time tomorrow without having to drag myself out of bed."

"First, who do you think it is?" Artie asked. He wanted to keep collecting opinions and evidence. Sam was quiet a long time.

"I can go right to sleep as soon as I say it?" Sam asked. "No one will be mad at me?"

"No one," Artie promised.

"I think it's either Santana, or… Kurt." Sam sounded heartbroken as he said this. The silence around him spoke for itself. He knew Finn was very, very mad at him.

"I want to ask…" Artie said.

"Fine," Sam gave in. "You can talk to me about it."

"Why the fuck do you think it's Kurt?" Finn demanded as soon as he got permission to speak and before Artie could say a word.

"Dude, calm down," Sam said. "I just… think the way he was acting when the pills got found was quite suspicious. I know there's a chance he was framed, and I don't want to believe that it's Kurt. I just can't help it. It really seems like it's him."

"It's not." Finn snapped. "It's not him."

"Which is why I also suspect others. Santana for example," Sam amended. "For reasons Puck has already explained."

"But you still think it could be Kurt." Finn growled. "Don't you think he goes through enough shit without you accusing him of murdering people?"

"Finn, please," Puck said. "Calm down,"

"I'm sorry, but I won't change my mind." Sam said. "I don't want to suspect Kurt, I really like the guy. I'm just saying that he seems suspicious, and if no one else will believe he's the killer, someone has to keep an eye on him."

"I'm telling you," Finn said. "It's not Kurt. It's Blaine."

"Don't worry Sam," Artie ignored Finn. "I'm keeping an eye on _everyone_. And besides, I'm sure other people suspect Kurt as well. Mr Schue might. Did you see his face?"

Finn swore and turned over in bed.

"Okay Artie." Sam sighed. "That's enough now. Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight," Said Puck and Artie.

"Fuck this." Said Finn.

…

After Finn and Puck left the bathroom, Santana came out from her own shower to find Blaine standing there.

"Hey," Santana greeted him. Blaine jumped and his eyes moved up to meet Santana's in the mirror.

"Oh, hi," Blaine said, relaxing.

"Ready to go to bed?" Santana asked. Blaine joined her and they walked down the hall together. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it seemed companionable and pleasant. Neither of them knew that in the first room to their right, people were naming them as the two biggest suspects.

When they reached their room, Santana went in and quickly turned to Blaine, a finger to her lips.

"Look at them," She whispered. "So sweet,"

Blaine closed the door quietly and turned to see what she meant. She was right. They were adorable.

Brittany and Kurt were both fast asleep. Their hair was slightly mussed. Each of them was curled on their side, in symmetry with each other. And they both had a hand on Brittany's pillow, clasped together. In their sleep each face looked perfectly peaceful and angelic. In their sleep the fact that they were both innocent was so obvious to Blaine and Santana that it almost hurt.

They climbed into their own beds as quietly as possible. With a smirk Santana held a hand out to Blaine and interlinked their fingers, so that they were holding hands just like their girlfriend and boyfriend.

"Goodnight Blaine," Santana whispered, closing her eyes. Blaine smiled warmly, very touched by how the situation they were in kept bringing out her kind side.

"Goodnight Santana," He said in return.

…

_I just don't know who to believe anymore_

_How do I keep track of everything?_

_Gosh I wish everyone would just stop fighting. I wish this had never happened._

_It could be anyone, Quinn's right. _

_Mike was such a good friend… why him?_

_It's impossible to work anything out. I think I know the killer and then something always happens to change everything._

_It's so hard to wrap my head around. And now Mike's gone and I… I can't deal with this._

_**Wait… is someone knocking on my door? Or am I imagining things? I shouldn't have slept alone… Do I answer or not? **_

_Mike. This is just terrible._

_Everyone I love keeps getting accused. But I think I know who it is._

_Me _and_ my boyfriend both get framed… it seems like it should be a clue but I just can't work anything out. And I still can't believe some people would think it's either one of us. Do we really seem like killers? _

_Come on Schuester, open the door. It's time for a wonderful piece of acting on my part…_

"Mr Schue?" The voice was a perfect measure of pleading and frightened. "Can I talk to you? I need your help. I'm so scared…"

_**Oh thank goodness, for a second I thought it was the killer. But it's only -**_

_Perfect, here he comes…_

* * *

_Dun dun dun..._

Sorry for that cliffhanger but I couldn't help it ;) Very keen to hear thoughts now. I'm feeling a little guilty because I feel like I'm writing some characters too much and others not enough. But I guess some of them will die soon so I may as well write them as much as I can before that happens.

Anyway, please review!

**EDIT: There is now a poll on my profile where you can vote for your guess on who the killer is. I've allowed two guesses each. So please go and vote.**


	17. Jack and the Beanstalk

Thank you all so much for the continued feedback and voting on thee poll. I have had another person thinking the killer is not alone and has help, but as I've said, there is only one killer. This is obvious when you look at the _thoughts. _After this chapter I'll reset the poll again so you can vote afresh.

Finn remains the biggest suspect. Pretty much everyone else has been voted for once in the poll, but when I look at the reviews as well, it seems that Rachel and Quinn are also highly suspected.

* * *

The next morning at around seven o'clock, Finn woke up and drowsily rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed. He'd had some terrible nightmare that he couldn't quite recall. As he looked around the room, he saw something hanging on the door; something that hadn't been there the night before.

"Puck, are you awake?" Finn asked. There was no response from his friend, so Finn reached out and jabbed him in the side. Puck's eyes flew open.

"Puck, look at that." Finn pointed to the door and Pucks eyes widened.

"Hey, Artie, Sam!" He yelled. "Wake up guys!"

"What's wrong?" Artie asked. Sam was wiping away drool from his chin and still looked quite sleepy, but the second he and Artie saw where Puck was pointing, they seemed wide awake.

"Do we take it down and read it now?" Finn asked.

"You know this means someone's dead?" Artie asked. "If it's a note from _you know_."

The pause was awful.

"Let's go and see who's... gone first." Sam said, looking around nervously. As he did so a thought seemed to occur to him. "Maybe we'll get there in time to save them."

And with that, they had launched themselves out of bed, except for Artie who waited impatiently as Sam lifted him into his chair.

As Artie and Sam caught up with the other two they found them hammering on the door to Rachel, Quinn and Mercedes' room.

"Open up, there's been a death!" Puck yelled. After a moment with no answer, Finn shoved him out of the way.

"Sorry," Finn said, pushing past Puck and opening the door. He couldn't wait.

The three girls were just sitting up in bed, looking baffled.

"Did someone say-" Rachel started to ask, but she was stopped when Finn launched himself onto her bed and started kissing her.

"Rachel," He whispered her name desperately and in a voice flooded with relief between each movement of his lips.

Sam left Artie's chair and fell to his knees beside Mercedes, gathering her into his arms for a suffocating hug.

"Thank God you're safe." Sam said.

Quinn and Puck exchanged a very long glance. Quinn licked her lips, and as Puck began to lean in to greet her as well, she stood up. Quinn did not want to get close to Puck. Not now. And she had seen the resolution in his eyes. She knew he had been about to kiss her. As tempting as it was, Quinn had to force herself away.

"So let's go and check the others," Quinn said sharply, avoiding Puck's gaze. "We're wasting time!"

Finn and Rachel pulled apart with the sound of a plug being removed from a drain and the others winced. Rachel was looking at Finn with huge, enamoured eyes.

"What's happening?" She asked him. This seemed to wake Finn up a little, and he straightened up quickly.

"Someone must have died, because we found a note from the killer." Finn explained, as they quickly moved back out down the corridor, him dragging Rachel by the hand.

They kicked open the next door and immediately took note of the line of sleeping figures. Brittany, with two hands around one of Kurt's, Kurt's other hand in Santana's and Santana's hand in Blaine's. They were all asleep, and judging by the rise and fall of their chests, they were all alive.

"Shit," Puck swore.

"It's Mr Schue," Finn choked on his name.

They didn't want to move anymore. They didn't want to see their teacher.

As the people who were awake spilled back out into the corridor, Kurt and Santana began to stir. They sat up in unison and their movements made Blaine and Brittany stir as well.

"Whash happn'?" Kurt's voice was muffled with sleep and he was confused to see the rest of the Glee Club exiting his room.

"Mr Schuester," Rachel said. Her own throat was constricted.

"Why'd we let him sleep alone?" Artie groaned from the hallway.

"Wait what?" Kurt asked, his hair flopping to one side in a way that might have been comical in any other situation.

"Oh no!" Blaine seemed to pick up on what was going on first, and flung himself out of bed so fast he got head rush.

As Blaine fell back onto the bed, Santana shook her hair out of her face and spoke with firm denial.

"You're _not_ saying what I think you're saying." She said.

"Look let's just go." Quinn snapped. "Ignoring this is stupid."

There was only silence.

"If Mr Schue is dead, like Finn says, we have to be the grown-ups now." Quinn said. "We have to take charge."

"Okay," Finn agreed. "Okay let's take charge."

Slowly, they stood. They all waited for each other. No one could stand the idea that they would have to be the first in the room; the first to see their beloved teacher's body.

They stood in formation in front of Mr Schue's door. Finn reached out a shaking hand and turned the handle. The door swung slowly open. As they squeezed their eyes shut in readiness for what they might see, Finn gasped.

"He's not there." Finn said. "The bed's empty."

Every set of eyes flew open again.

"The window's open." Brittany stated.

She was right. The curtains blew in the wind through the gaping hole.

"It's not just open." Rachel said sharply. "It's broken."

She was right too. Rather than having been flung open, it had no glass in it at all.

"I'm not looking." Sam said suddenly, covering his eyes and stepping back behind Artie's wheelchair. "I can't."

His lead was followed by many others, until the doorway was empty, a wide berth created by the circle of people too scared to step closer.

"Okay fine," Santana walked forward with open palms raised in a gesture of surrender. "I'll look then, since you're such cowards."

Despite her harsh words, she paused before she reached the window, and her shoulders lifted with a swell of breath as she gathered courage. Then Santana laid a careful hand on the windowsill and leaned out to look at the scene below her.

Without warning, she stumbled backwards with a breathy gasp. Whatever she had seen, it'd been a shock.

"Santana what-?" Rachel started to ask. But then Santana turned to face them and they saw her expression. She face was twisted with sadness and fear.

She took another shuddering gasp of breath that tumbled back out as a sob.

"No," She murmured, as another sob burst through before she could hold it back. "No, no, no, no."

And then her shoulders were shaking up and down as she staggered forward into Brittany's open arms, weeping. Quinn and Blaine quickly began to rub small circles on her back.

"I'm scared." Finn said.

"Maybe we shouldn't…" Blaine's nerves were plain in his tone.

"We have to look at some stage," Kurt said firmly. Now that they'd seen Santana's reaction they all had some idea of how bad this might be. So Kurt stepped forwards as well, and peaked out of the window.

Bile rose in his throat and he gagged, but choked it down.

"Y-you're right Santana." Kurt gasped, trying to pull down the remaining curtain, but struggling because he was shaking. "No one should look at this. It's too-"

"Okay, that's it." Quinn said, leaving Santana to join Kurt. Every one of her muscles were taunt as she wrapped an arm around Kurt (he curled into her) and looked out of the window.

There was a long silence. They could tell Quinn was searching for words.

"Maybe we all need to see this." Quinn's voice still shook. "And whoever you are. Whichever one of you is _killing everyone I love, _you better feel bad. I hope you look at this and realise what you've done. Look and _realise what you're doing_!"

As if they were being pulled by some invisible string, they did move forward at Quinn's words. And they all looked out the window. And then they were all crying.

And they couldn't stop. They just stopped and sobbed and held each other in a trembling and terrified mass.

Because the image of Mr Schue's body would never leave them.

He lay in their minds, spread-eagled, with a knife in his back. His head, turned sideways, made his bulging eyes and mouth, leaking blood, visible. The fear and suspicious shock was evident in his expression. The pool of blood he lay in was huge and splattered far in droplets of red. The glass of the window was shattered around him, and huge pieces of it stuck out of his arm, which was mottles with cuts blood and glass so that it was hard to tell what it had been in the first place. The knife that a torn a gaping wound in his back, had simply added to the horror.

He was dead, without a doubt.

…

"Yeah, it's his fairytale." Finn said, tearing down the piece of paper.

Finn had cried the longest, and only when he had stopped did they gather to read the note in the Main Hall. "It's Jack and Beanstalk. Which explains the… body."

"You want to give it to me to read?" Quinn asked. "Or can you manage it?"

"Yes, I can." Finn took a deep breath. "I can manage this. Let me do this; for Mr Schue."

They nodded and stepped back. Though they'd all had close connections with their teacher, they knew Finn's bond had been especially close.

"_Once Upon a time there was a man who sought to find more in every moment of his life. When the metaphorical beanstalks faced this man, he would climb them. And when one day, he was given the task of selling his cow, he went and exchanged it for some 'magic beans', deciding he would believe in them even though it seemed impossible._

_He planted the beans and nurtured them, and they grew quickly into a tall beanstalk. And the man decided to climb. He didn't realise how unprepared he was for a beanstalk of such proportions. And when he reached the top he was faced with a giant, the likes of which he never expected. _

_He wanted to escape the giant facing him, and in his hurry he put a little too much trust in the beanstalk. The beanstalk wouldn't help him despite the way he'd nurtured it. He fell._

_And he died._

_The end."_

Finn's voice was slow and steady, and they could tell he was putting in a lot of effort to keep it that way.

Everyone had tears in their eyes again. But there was a bitter taste in the air, because they all knew that the 'beanstalk' Mr Schue had risked everything to help grow and mature, was them. They knew that the 'giant' he couldn't face up to was the situation they were in. And they knew that they had all failed him like the beanstalk in the story when they hadn't considered how dangerous it might be for him to sleep alone. And they all knew that one of them was the part of the beanstalk he definitely shouldn't have trusted, because one of them had killed him. But it was impossible to tell whose tears were false, and who was genuinely upset.

Finn dropped the paper and sighed.

"We'd better go and collect the body." He said.

"Hold on," Mercedes was staring at the paper he'd dropped. "It says something on the other side."

Finn bent down and picked it up again. His eyes widened as he read the other side and he quickly folded up the paper, tears springing to his eyes and one tipping over and rolling down his cheek.

"It's fine," He said, wiping it away quickly. But his voice was strangled. "It's nothing."

They stared at him in disbelief. Some immediately wondered if Finn was the killer, and the paper marked with something that might incriminate him.

"Finn, _read_ it." Rachel said. There was something written there, they _all_ had to hear it.

"No, we don't need to read it. It's not even important." Finn said, his fist tightening around the paper. Rachel reached for the paper, but he held it high above her head and she pouted at him because there was no way she could jump that high.

"Finn, not cool." Puck said. "Just read it already."

Finn looked around anxiously at all the faces, his eyes pausing, narrowed with suspicion, on Blaine, and then they rested on Kurt.

"I'll read it," He said, looking protective. "If my little brother will leave the room first,"

Kurt looked astonished. Everyone was staring at Finn like he'd gone crazy.

"Well if there's one sure way to make me stay in here, it was saying that." Kurt said. "I'm not missing hearing this now. So just _read it_, Finn. I'm sure I can deal with whatever it says."

Finn seemed ready to stare Kurt down until he agreed to leave, but Puck launched himself forward without warning and grabbed Finn's hand. As Finn struggled, Puck wrenched his arm down and tried to prise his fingers lose. Sam came quickly to help him, and got a grip on the paper as Puck yanked the fingers back one by one. Finally Sam was able to snatch the paper and away as Puck held Finn back. Rachel took the note quickly from Sam, confident that Finn wouldn't try to wrestle it from her, especially as his friends were still standing between them, ready to catch Finn.

"Please," Finn asked one last time. "Don't let Kurt hear-"

Rachel smoothed the paper out and read it aloud.

"_Oh yes, and a message for Kurt Hummel. Stop almost dying and wait your fucking turn. It's exhausting trying to keep you alive when you seem set on dying. Seriously, wondering off alone to find a clock, then again to take a shower, then I see you about to take the poisoned apple on the picnic and I have to distract you. Not to mention you drinking from the bloody water bottle and almost swimming. Don't worry, it'll be your turn soon enough. Just try and last a little longer, as hard as it seems for you."_

Rachel's eyes were the size of dinner plates as she looked up from what she'd just read. The rest of her fellow gleeks looked stunned. And Kurt's face was so pale it was a wonder he wasn't transparent.

"Oh," Kurt said. "Well that's- that's fine. I don't know why you didn't want me to hear that Finn."

He let lose a small bubble to hysterical laughter and then clamped his mouth shut.

"I'll do my best then." His voice became more high-pitched as he spoke. "I'll wait my turn and die in you time, Mr or Miss Killer. I'm sorry, I should have thought of it sooner."

And more hysterical laughter escaped him as he started to cry again.

With only a moment's pause, all those standing closest to him were hugging him. And then everyone else joined in. They sobbed together in a circle until their tears ran dry, for the second time that day.

"They're just trying to scare us." Blaine said when they were finished. "Ignore them Kurt, you're better than them. Let's get the body now. Let's forget about that message."

Kurt nodded, putting on his bravest face and gripping Blaine's hand tightly for support. Finn's jaw was clenched with fury so tightly it was a wonder it didn't break. He was glaring at Blaine again. For once Blaine didn't notice, he was glued to Kurt's side, looking protectively around at the other Glee Club members.

"Let's go," Kurt agreed.

…

They gathered the sheets and all walked down together. As they went, Artie started telling them about his latest plan.

"I don't think anyone should be in separate rooms anymore. It's too hard to keep a track of everyone and everything. Two deaths have occurred because of it" Artie said. "We need to all sleep together. I'm thinking we'll move into the Main Hall like our first night and sleep there the rest of the time. We still have three nights before Tom comes with supplies and his boat and we can get rescued."

Everyone agreed with him, but as they turned the corner they fell silent. The body looked worse up close. His death was so gruesome; A knife, a fall, glass slicing everything, and the fear in his eyes.

Finn carefully laid the first sheet over him as the club watched with renewed crying. Puck lay down a sheet of his own, and then together, both boys lifted the covered body from the grass, sticky with drying blood. They wished Mr Schue had still been in his room in the boys' corridor, with no window leading outside. But they were down the girls' corridor now and, like the cell phones, he had a great deal of distance to fall.

The sight of Mr Schue's blood already soaking through the sheets, made Brittany gag like she had seeing Joe's body, so Santana quickly snatched the last sheet from Sam and put in over the top as well.

"Go on then," She said to the boys, and they made their way up the path again.

When they placed Mr Schue's body down, they realised that the body room was full. He had taken the last available space.

It hurt so much to see the bodies of all their friends, and now their father figure and beloved teacher had joined them. Puck quickly slammed the door to hide the sight from them all.

"Now what do we do?" He asked, seeming at a loss.

"Let's move the beds." Artie said with a firm nod. "Let's focus on the task."

* * *

This chapter was interesting to write, including having to chose some braver members of the club who I thought would have the guts to look at the body first. I also love me some Furt brotherliness (as you may have noticed), so making his protective side come out if great to write (whether he's sincere or not ;))

Well please do continue to review! I love you guys!


	18. Pillow Fight

So in the voting Rachel is top suspect. Finn and Quinn also seem high on the list. A couple of reviewers were also thinking it was Kurt. It's very interesting to see all your opinions so keep them coming! This chapter's fairly light-hearted... but there's a death coming up in the next one!

* * *

As they gathered things, small conversations sprung up. Brittany was helping Artie to gather his stuff when she stopped all of a sudden to watch him. His brow was furrowed for a brief moment as he stared out of the window, and it was obvious that his mind was buzzing with thoughts.

"Artie," Brittany said. He head jerked up and he quickly refocused on the task at hand.

"What? Sorry, I was thinking," Artie said quickly.

"That's fine." Brittany said. "You can think all you want, I just worry about you."

"Me? There's no need to." Artie said with a shrug.

"No, Artie, there is need." Brittany walked around the bed and sat on the edge, so that she was nearer to Artie while she talked to him. "Because all of this is super unfair. Especially on you,"

Only Artie noticed Santana join them, and stop to lean against the doorframe as she watched. He met her eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to Brittany and adjusting his glasses.

"I said I'm fine." Artie repeated, as if that might make it true.

"Artie, you're one the youngest here. Sam and Blaine might be in your year, but they're a couple months older at least. Yet you put so much pressure on yourself and I don't think it's healthy." Brittany tried to continue.

"I can manage this. I am managing it." Artie said.

"Britt's right." Santana's voice didn't seem to startle Brittany. Perhaps she had noticed her, or sensed her. Artie had long since gotten over his bitterness that Santana and Brittany were a couple and he found it sweet to see sign of their connection. "It isn't fair on you."

"I-" Artie began.

"Shouldn't be taking on what you're taking," Brittany finished the sentence for him. "You're being our leader and it isn't fair on you to do that by yourself."

"It's too much responsibility for you, Artie." Santana agreed. "I feel like you need to take a break once in a while. Let some of us work things out too. It's not fair for you to have to make all the decisions and sort _us_ out."

"No, it wouldn't be fair to make me stop working things out." Artie explained. "Just because I'm the youngest, that doesn't mean someone else has to do all the work. And I can't stop thinking about it. If I stop thinking about finding the killer, and surviving, I'll start thinking about Sugar, and Joe, and Miss Pillsbury and Tina and Mike. And then I'll go mad. I'll go absolutely crazy."

"Okay," Santana watched him very closely. "I get it."

"But talk to us, okay." Brittany said.

And Artie nodded, because he realised how good it would be to talk about everything rather than stewing over things by himself. And Santana's sharp honesty would be refreshing and helpful. And Brittany's innocent logic and kindness would be wonderful to have in his life again. It had been something he'd thrived on when they'd dated the year before. He accepted now, that she and Santana would be together, but he still wanted Brittany as a friend.

"Thank you," Artie said. "I'll talk to you guys next time then."

Brittany lifted his sleep bag and bag onto his lap and then he wheeled out into the hallway.

Artie collided with Sam, who was talking to a concerned Mercedes.

"So I think that's another way that'll point to the killer." She was saying.

"What is?" Artie asked, after apologising to Sam.

Mercedes began to explain, and Artie joined in.

…

Kurt had been walking hand in hand with Blaine as they carried their things through, but the second they entered the Hall, Blaine saw Finn glaring at him, arms folded. He made a quick excuse to Kurt and removed his hand to walk back to his own room, wanting to escape Finn and seeing that Finn wanted to talk to Krut. Kurt watched him go, puzzled, and then jumped violently as he felt a hand nudge his shoulder.

"Hey Kurt?" He relaxed at the sound of Finn's voice and turned to smile at him.

"Yeah, what is it?" He asked, not seeing how annoyed Finn looked.

"You should… stay away from Blaine." Finn told him.

"We've been over this." The smile was gone in an instant and Kurt's eyebrows contracted with annoyance. "I'm not ignoring Blaine for doing nothing wrong. And just because you're my brother, you can't order me around."

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Finn said.

"You don't want me to get hurt?" Kurt asked sarcastically, temper rising. "Then stop trying to take away one of the only things keeping me _sane _and _happy."_

"You don't understand, after that note… That note made things so clear to me. I have to keep you safe. I can't bear it if you-" Finn looked almost crazed.

Kurt's eyes scanned the crowd behind him and he spotted Rachel. He tapped the side of his leg and pointed to Finn, in a long practised gesture meaning 'come distract him please.' They had mastered this when Kurt needed to escape Finn and spend time alone, and it was especially useful when Finn was desperate to talk to him about football or something equally awful and Kurt needed an escape. Rachel was always perfectly happy to distract him, and Finn perfectly happy to be distracted. It turned out to work perfectly in this situation too.

"Finn!" Rachel called, darting across the room and taking his hand. "Come set up your bed next to mine."

As soon as Finn was distracted, Kurt had whirled around and started away from him. Mercedes stopped him before he could run back to Blaine. Artie and Sam with her.

"Kurt, can we talk?" Mercedes asked. Kurt glanced back at Finn and was glad to see that he was now consumed with whatever Rachel was saying to him. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sure Mercedes," he said, sitting in the seat she propelled him towards. "What's up?"

"Well, Artie and I noticed something. We thought you'd never touched the apples, so what was with the killer mentioning that in his note?" Mercedes cut right to the chase.

"I dunno," Kurt looked puzzled himself. "I never did touch an apple. I mean, I might have reached in for something nearby the apple and made the killer think I might take it."

"Told you it was something like that." Sam laughed slightly. Mercedes rolled her eyes at him.

"And that's not all we need to ask," Artie said slowly. "If the killer says they had to distract you from taking an apple, then you need to try and remember being distracted. Did anyone talk to you as you reached your hand into the fruit bowl?"

Kurt seemed to be wracking his brains, taking this very seriously.

"Well the only person to really talk to me abruptly and seemingly out of nowhere was Puck. But he was just including me in some dirty joke he was making, and he'd already been making the joke with other people. I don't think he was even looking at me to have seen me reach in for the sandwiches." Kurt said.

"Are you sure no one else did anything that would make you-" Artie began after taking careful note of Puck's involvement.

"Hey guys, what're we talking about?" Blaine seemed to come out of nowhere and sat on the arm of Kurt's chair.

Kurt's brow was still furrowed in concentration, but his eyes darted to Blaine and widened. It took him a second to reconstruct his look of contemplation. He glanced at Blaine from the corner of his eyes one more time before fixing his gaze on Artie once more.

"Nope. I don't remember anything else seeming sudden or anything. It was all just normal talking. The killer must have been pretty subtle." Kurt said.

Artie nodded, and let Sam wheel him off, still contemplating Puck and not joining in with the conversation between Mercedes and Sam, which had turned to sleeping arrangements and kicking 'Finchel' out if they started kissing.

…

"Blaine," Kurt asked in a low voice when they were gone. "You know… at the picnic?"

"Yes?" Blaine asked, looking excited "Did you see anything? Is that what you were telling Artie?"

Kurt smiled at his optimism, but he still looked troubled. "It's about when you kissed me." He said.

"Oh," Blaine's smile turned flirty. "Did you want me to-"

"Please let me finish." Kurt interrupted, so Blaine pressed his lips together to mime being silent. "I was wondering, what was I doing just before you kissed me? What made you kiss me?"

"Hmm," Blaine contemplated, running a finger over Kurt's jaw until his thumb trailed over his lower lip. "I don't know what you were doing, I don't remember. But I do know why I kissed you. I kissed you because I love you. You're so beautiful, Kurt. Sometime I can't help myself."

Rather than being charmed, Kurt continued to scan Blaine's face with a fierce intensity.

"You really didn't see what I was doing beforehand. I didn't reach into the bag and make you think I was picking up an apple? You didn't know there was a poisoned apple in the bag?"

Blaine hand dropped as if he'd been stung. "Kurt, what? Of course I wouldn't have known. You don't think I'd just let Tina die?"

Kurt saw the offended, wounded look in his eyes. He looked at Blaine for another few seconds and then a bright smile danced onto his face.

"I know you wouldn't Blaine," He said, relief clear in his expression. Blaine realised that whatever Kurt had seen in his eyes had confirmed that he wasn't lying, and he was glad. Kurt lifted Blaine's hand back to his face again and kissing the thumb that had been brushing his lip earlier. "I'm sorry I had to ask. But I thought it wasn't you, that's why I didn't tell Artie about the kiss."

Blaine looked weak with relief, unable to bear the idea of losing Kurt. He was pleased to see Kurt had never really suspected him; pleased that he'd only felt a duty to ask rather than truly suspecting.

"And you can kiss me," Kurt whispered. "If you want."

…

Rachel saw Blaine kiss Kurt and quickly pulled Finn away into the kitchen so he didn't see. She didn't want to ignite his temper again.

"You believe me, don't you, Rachel?" Finn asked suddenly "You don't think I'm nuts to say it's Blaine."

"I-" Rachel looked uncomfortable. "Look I'm not saying it's not a possibility, but I don't think it is him. I told you that the other day, when I had to tell you off for yelling at Kurt in front of everyone."

Finn scowled sulkily and leaned against the table. "I thought you were just annoyed about me yelling at Kurt, not for accusing Blaine."

"Finn I'm not annoyed at you, okay?" Rachel drew closer and put a comforting hand on his knee.

"You don't think I'm crazy though?" He asked suddenly.

"No, of course not." Rachel said.

"Because everyone – everyone else does." Finn stood up and his hands jerked for a moment in a gesture on annoyance as he pushed up his sleeves. Rachel has seen him do this before, when he got angry and his movements became stilted and jerky, his hands gesturing in front of him. "And this whole _thing_ is so fricking unfair! What did we _ever_ do to deserve this, huh? And now Mr Schue is gone so I've lost another person I really cared about. I can't stand the thought that I might lose you next. Or Kurt. Even Puck and Quinn and-"

He broke off as Rachel caught his hands and stared him in the eye. Finn sat back down on the edge of the dining table.

"Finn Hudson," She said. "I have total faith in you and your ability to protect us. And who knows, maybe we finally have the killers stumped with this new deal. We're all sleeping together so no one can go off alone."

"Yeah well it's kind of hard to protect Kurt when he's willing to run off with Blaine if he only bats his eyelashes and-"

"_Finn,"_ Rachel warned, jumping up to sit on the edge on the dining table beside him. "You need to breathe and calm down. Nothing's happened yet. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Finn was silent for a while, and then he let Rachel's gentle hands tip him over so that his head rested in her lap.

"You know in a way," Her tone was deliberately very light as she tried to sound nonchalant. "This whole situation is good for us in the end. I mean the dying is awful, but this kind of _pain _and _suffering_ is what makes all good couples stronger. And I'm sure the Glee Club will come out on top very soon. And our love can only grow _stronger_."

Finn was used to her dramatic manner and smiled against her fingertips as she stroked her cheek where he lay in her lap. Despite himself, Rachel made him feel a little better, if only because she was so sweet and almost funny.

…

"Okay… teen gays, please break it up." Santana said loudly as she entered the sleeping area with an armful of sleeping bags belonging to her and Brittany, only to be greeted by Kurt and Blaine kissing.

"I could say the same about you." Blaine chortled as he broke off the kiss and let Kurt go. Kurt, a little red in the face, made up for it with humour.

"Oh Santana's just jealous." He said with a devilish grin.

"Oh please," Santana pretending to walk past and at the last moment, grabbed Kurt and kissed him firmly on the mouth, making Kurt squeal.

"Yeah I'm not missing too much." She said casually, re-gathering the slipping sleeping bags and continuing to the area where the other beds had mostly been arranged, and Sam, Artie and Mercedes sat currently, laughing at Kurt. Kurt was wiping furiously at his mouth.

"I think Kurt's a good kisser." Brittany said from the doorway where she'd followed Santana in with their pillows and Santana's backpack. "I mean he was a little inexperienced when we tried and seemed kind of uncomfortable. But I think he had potential."

Kurt's mouth hung open in pure shock. Blaine laughed and put an arm around him.

"They thing you missed, Santana, was a little tongue. That really let's Kurt's abilities shine." He said jokingly.

"If you've all finished discussing my kissing abilities…" Kurt said huffily, though they could see he was trying not to be amused as he stepped out of Blaine's arms. As he looked up he saw Santana pretending to contemplate the tongue idea with an overly considering expression on her face, and threw a pillow at her, which she caught neatly after it had struck home and began to fall back to the ground again.

"Oh that is it, Hummel!" She yelled, advancing with the pillow, and being caught by surprise when Mercedes hit her with another pillow from behind. Santana whirled around to face her and Kurt snatched up another pillow and began to hit her again, laughing and Brittany joined him.

Before they knew it they were having a full blown pillow-fight and everyone was joining them.

…

Puck was helping Quinn to gather her things and shove them back in her bag and Quinn was trying to ignore Puck, whose things already waited in a pile outside the door.

Mercedes had been fairly quick to take everything away, because it had all remained in her bag after moving from Tina's room. Rachel had done things as speedily as she could and left as well. But Quinn had been left alone because her bag was small and she was finding it hard to stuff everything back inside and it was taking her longer, until Puck had arrived in the doorway and offered to be a "knight in shining armour".

"So are we going to talk about anything?" Puck asked suddenly. He'd been watching Quinn for a while, unmoving.

"Is there something to talk about?" Quinn asked with feigned innocence. She knew what Puck meant. She could feel the tension mounting between them as it had been the whole time.

"Just that fact that everyone's pairing off and the one girl I want is trying not to pair off with me at all." He said sternly, still staring.

Quinn tried her best not the blush and was pleased to feel no heat on her cheeks after a few deep breaths. She turned and bent over her bag so that her hair created a curtain between them.

"Well I'm sorry she doesn't want to pair off with you, you must be disappointed." Quinn cursed herself as she realised she was starting to flirt.

"I'm more than disappointed." Puck said.

"Well, there's always Artie." Quinn said with a touch of a laugh in her tone.

"Artie's lovely, and he's my mate and all, but no matter how much wider my horizons would become if I went bi, I'm just not into that." Puck returned to same humour her tone carried.

Quinn tried her hardest not to smile, but her mouth pulled up at the corners anyway.

"The _girl_ I like is super-hot. And I know I've hurt her in the past, but I never wanted too. And sometimes it's so hard not to kiss her. I just want to keep her safe and protected…" Puck's voice became low as he leaned in close to Quinn's curtain of hair, his breath brushing the back of her neck. "… and loved."

As her finished the sentence he saw Quinn shudder. He reached up a hand and gently brushed back her hair, baring her neck and shoulder. Puck leaned in a gently planted a kiss on her skin, surprised at the rush on affection that ran through him.

Quinn's eyes were squeezed shut, but suddenly she leapt up and snatched a few remaining things from her bed. She shoved them in her bag and slammed it closed, fumbling with the zip and feeling tears spring to her eyes in embarrassment.

Puck hand reached out and gently removed hers. He zipped the bag shut for her.

"Thanks," the words caught in Quinn's throat and she took a deep breath. "Let's just go join the others, okay?"

"Okay," Puck said in a voice more quiet than Quinn had ever heard him use.

She gathered her sleeping bag and pillow as well and struggled out the door with them. Puck grabbed his own things and followed. His eyes looked completely hollow as he watched the sway of Quinn's golden hair in front of him.

….

The scene that greeted Quinn and Puck made them laugh aloud, forgetting the tension that had been tight in the air around them. Puck whooped as he spotted Santana and Brittany smacking each other with pillows, and he nudged Quinn forward so she collided with them. In the midst of the fight, Quinn was forced to join in, leaving her bag by the door. Puck watched greedily for a few moments, before leaping into the battle himself, yelling as he brought his pillow down on Sam's head.

"What's going on in here?" Finn and Rachel had finally been disturbed by the yelling. Rather than stop and explain what was happening, Brittany grabbed her second pillow from the floor and threw it at Finn. As it bounced off him and hit Rachel, she took hold of it and brought it up for a second blow to Finn's face. With a roaring laugh he chased her into the fight, tripping over Artie's wheelchair before he could catch her, and having to bend double as both Artie and Mercedes started to slam him with pillows.

…

It was a full twenty minutes before everyone had given up. They lay spread-eagled on their separate beds, having taken care to flop down there, thinking they probably wouldn't get up again after such an exhausting fight.

As they lay panting, Santana finally raised a fist in the air and said triumphantly. "That. Was. Amazing."

Brittany laughed. "But you lost." She said.

Santana hit her half-heartedly with a pillow once again and more breathless laughter rose.

It was wonderful, to be completely worn out yet totally happy and free of the horror of the last few days. Tension had been let lose, and the memories that haunted them, temporarily forgotten. Even the idea that one of them was a killer didn't disturb the silence.

"You know it's only three o'clock." Artie reminded them. After they had lunch and then read the fairytale, they really weren't setting up bedding for that long.

They laughed, because it felt like evening already. Artie smiled and turned his head so he could see them all. Puck had lifted him from his wheelchair and laid him on the ground beside them. It added to the sense of unity.

They lay there for a while longer, as their breathing returned to normal. Eventually, Rachel got up and found her mp3 player. Not for the first time, the club was very glad that mp3 players had been left intact when the phones were destroyed, so long as they had no way to connect to the outside world. It meant they still had music.

Rachel plugged it into her speakers and carefully selected a song. They all smiled as they recognised the familiar beat, sitting up again and easily slipping into the song, even those who hadn't been there in the club's first year.

They all knew the song anyway.

And 'Don't Stop Believing' was just what they needed to lift their spirits.

* * *

Please keep reviewing and talking to me, and I'm resetting the poll now so you can all vote again. (also I had to add the dead members to the poll because I got a sad PM saying that someone had been spoiled as to who died my looking at the poll first. So I've fixed that)


	19. The Fifth Night

Okay I held off the death for another chapter because people liked the fluffy last chapter and this one started getting a bit long. I also had a request for more Brittana. Don't worry, as more people die others will have more moments together. But just for you there's a wee Brittana scene in here :)

So right now Quinn, Finn and Blaine are all tied for top suspect, with Sam a close second. I'd love to hear the reasoning behind your guesses, so please review as well.

* * *

After that they continued singing songs until they were dancing around the room again, people laughing and tripping over each other as they tried to remember old routines and avoid the pillows, sleeping bags and blankets. They sang more songs than they ever had in a Glee Club session, and with far less drama because the sense of comradery was too strong for fighting to break through.

As Santana pulled Brittany up to begin a crazier version of Taylor Swifts "Love Story" the guys didn't even mind that it was one of the girly songs they were usually so opposed to, they were having too much fun.

When Rachel and Mercedes almost started a fight over who could sing lead in "Call me Maybe," they just gave up and everyone sang together.

Finn's and Puck's exasperation over Rachel's mp3 player not having some of the songs they wanted, was gone completely when she gathered the girls in a middle and began a suggestive dance to a few different Britney Spears songs. The dancing effectively distracted them.

All in all, the music brought them together again. It was wonderful to have a break from everything.

When they started to get tired again from jumping around, people began to sit and watch as some people sang solos. When the last person, Rachel sat down, breathing hard as if she'd been running, everyone seemed finished.

"Santana you were wrong before, because _that_ was awesome." Artie laughed. Santana rolled her eyes, but agreed.

That day had been the best on the island, despite missing everyone. By now it was dinner time, and for a whole afternoon no one had been thinking about death and betrayal.

"I suppose it's time for food." Finn said suddenly. "Dancing makes me hungry."

"Most things make you hungry." Kurt grumbled, but he was still smiling. He and Blaine had repeated a couple of their old duets and the memories of falling in love with Blaine had made him very happy. He didn't seem angry with Finn anymore.

People stood up, pulling each other off the floor. They all went through and after rooting through their supplies, didn't want to cook a proper meal. So they each took a packet of instant noodles (though some of the guys took two) and made those instead.

…

When they were finished eating, they made their way back into the Hall, deciding to sleep even though it was only 7.30 by this time. They hadn't had much sleep the night before and after everything they were mostly quite tired anyway. But as they entered the room, something was immediately obvious.

Among the pillows and blankets covering the sleeping area was a piece of paper.

"Oh shit," Puck swore.

Within seconds everyone had gathered in the room and stood in a clump near the door. They counted off quickly, and realised with surprise that they were all there. No one was dead yet.

Immediately Artie thought it might be poison in the noodles, and they decided to quickly read the note and see if that could give them a clue before someone died. This time Blaine went to pick it up and read it.

"_Once Upon a Time there was beautiful princess you know as Sleeping Beauty. When she was still very young, there was a warning of her death. It was said she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. In desperation everyone in the Kingdom did all they could to prevent the death. _

_But there was nothing they could do. She was so protected she didn't even realise what the danger was. When she came across a spinning wheel she pricked her finger on in without even realising it could kill her._

_Quickly she fell into a deep slumber. But your princess will never be woken by true love's kiss. Rather than save her, her prince will have to morn her forever. The princess will die and there is nothing you can do to stop it. She will sleep forever. Beautiful, but lost. _

_The End."_

Blaine bit his lip and turned the note over just in case there was another message.

"Well I guess we know why we're getting this message _before_ a death then." Artie said bitterly.

"What? Why?" Brittany asked, and for once she wasn't the only one who was confused.

"Because in the fairytale, the whole kingdom – that's us – knew the princess was going to die, but they couldn't stop it. The killer wants us to try and prevent it in any way possible. And the sick thing is, we will try _very hard_ to stop this death." Artie explained, looking as if he might cry. "And we might not succeed."

"Wow, you're right." Finn looked stunned, as if he'd been smacked over the head.

"Well the killer was wrong about the last part then." Puck said fiercely. "Whoever the princess is," and his gaze landed on Quinn with concern "We will not let her die. We can stop this, because the killer is an idiot, and just gave us tons of hints."

"And like the original story." Brittany said. "When that good fairy counter-acts the curse and makes the death into sleeping, we can counter-act the killer."

"Okay let's work out how we're going to do this." Artie said, wheeling over to the chairs at the far end of the room, opposite where the beds were laid out. Everyone sat down with him.

"First thing's first." Quinn said, "All of us have to make sure we don't touch any suspicious pointy things.

There was some weak laughter.

"Unless the killer's using a different method." Blaine pointed out. "They haven't always used totally the same things. Like Mr Schue had a knife in his back too, which wasn't in Jack and the Beanstalk."

"But the spindle was specifically mentioned in the fairytale we got. I think that's what they are using." Puck said.

"It'd be nice." Finn was obviously supressing anger and Rachel's hand tightened painfully on his knee in warning. "If Blaine could just _tell us_ how he was planning to kill this person."

"Finn!" Kurt screeched.

"Because I know it's you. I'll be watching you Blaine. And we will stop you, you smug little-" Rachel's fingernails dug in so suddenly Finn broke off with a yelp.

"Shut up, Finn. Now is not the time to bring this all back. Now is about protecting people, not accusing them." Puck snapped. Blaine was almost cowering behind Kurt, who was glaring at Finn with ferocity again. Blaine was finding it harder to just ignore Finn as each day passed.

There was an awkward pause after Finn's outburst. He was rubbing his leg and glowering at what little he could see of Blaine. But at least he was silent.

"I think," Sam began awkwardly "That we're lucky the killer is pretty consistent with what they write in the notes. If they've said something in the note, that's what'll happen."

"Yeah it does help us prevent this." Artie agreed.

"For one I think we should shuffle the beds around. We'll put all the girls up against the wall and surround them. That way it's harder for them to be taken off, or wander off and die." Kurt said.

"Yeah that should work well!" Artie agreed.

"How do we know it's a girl?" Brittany asked.

"Well like Sam said, the killer is consistent. Each fairytale is as accurate as they can make it. And all the genders have been right so far. Joe, Jesus; Sugar, Red Riding Hood; Tina, Snow White; Miss Pillsbury, Cinderella; Mike, Frog Prince; Mr Schue, Jack. All of them were right." Artie explained.

So the Glee Club went and rearranged the beds. They surreptitiously tried to read each other's expressions, trying to spot annoyance that would give away the killer. There was no hint of it.

When the beds had been moved they decided to get ready for bed. Every time someone thought of another way to prevent a death they'd yell it out from their shower or toilet stall, or from in front of the mirror by the sinks.

"…And we have to never go to the toilet alone!"

"Just wake two people up if you're leaving the room, even for a drink."

"Always three people at a time. No one can go off alone or with one other."

"Use your own stuff all the time, especially if you're shaving in the morning or something."

"Actually if anyone's shaving in the shower right now, please wash the razor really carefully first, or it might have somehow been poisoned."

"I think we should stack cans against the door so no one can sneak away without them all clattering over and waking us up."

"Yeah, and that way if people do need to go to the toilet they can wake _everyone_ up anyway."

"I was worried people might be too shy or not want to be a bother, so they wouldn't wake anyone. Stacking the cans will just make sure they _have to._"

"Okay, so if anyone needs the toilet in the night, they wake up the glee club, take three people with them, and re-stack the cans when they get back."

"And if anyone gets stepped on in the night, force yourself to wake up fully, don't just roll over and go back to sleep. Someone's life may be at risk…."

And so their plans were made and by the time they went to bed, they were very confident that everything would work. Sam and Puck fished the empty cans from the recycling bin and through an arm-width gap in the door, Rachel stacked them up. They shut the door and tested the theory by swinging it open. Immediately the pile of cans outside toppled over and clattered to the floor with a resounding noise. With a smile, Rachel restacked them outside through her tiny gap and they shut the door fully again.

"I think this will ready work." She said confidently. "No one can go alone, even if they don't want to be a bother."

She scrambled back past Puck and Finn to reach her spot beside Quinn. The Club were still sitting up in bed. Despite professing how tired they all were, now that it was way past 8, they found they weren't so sleepy anymore. They were more worried and tense.

"Who wants some supper?" Sam asked after they had lain there for over half an hour without anyone drifting off. There were relieved sighs as people sat back up again and agreed.

In the kitchen Sam took out all the toasters and shoved pop tarts into all of them. The Glee Club sat around talking to each other in the sitting area of the next room.

…

Santana and Brittany came face to face with a fair amount of privacy as all the others were absorbed in their own conversations.

"I think you're Sleeping Beauty." They both said at the exact same time.

Santana laughed and reached out to hold Brittany's hand.

"You're the hottest girl I've ever met." Brittany continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if they picked you."

"Maybe," Santana shrugged. "But I'm more worried about you, Britt."

Brittany cocked her head as she listened. Santana's eyes were downcast now, as if she might cry. The laughter of their friends didn't quite penetrate their little bubble of worry.

"It's just that you're so sweet and pure, and I worry that someone will take advantage of that. You trust them all don't you?" Santana asked, finally looked up to meet her eyes.

"They're my friends." Brittany said simply. If possible, Santana's heart grew even heavier. She _knew _Brittany would remain naïve and trusting, but hearing confirmation of that hurts a little too much.

"You have to promise me you won't go wondering off alone. You have to promise me you won't listen to anyone but me." Santana begged, bringing her other hand up so that she's holding Brittany's hands in both of her own. "I don't want you to be like the princess in the story. I don't want you to go and 'touch the spindle' and die because you thought there was no danger."

"I won't." Brittany says. "I don't think there's even any spinning wheels on this island anyway."

Santana's laugh looked a little more like a sob. Sometimes she loved Brittany so much it hurt.

"It's a metaphor." She tried to explain.

"Oh, like something that can turn into a spinning wheel?" Brittany asked, "I thought you didn't believe in magic?"

"Just forget all that." Santana said suddenly, brow furrowing as she worked out how to word it. "What I'm trying to say is that this danger will be hidden. So you can't trust anyone."

"Except you." Brittany said with a smile.

"I'm so lucky I have you." Santana whispered, tears leaking from her eyes as she squeezes them shut to try and hold them in.

"Shhh, it's okay," Brittany reached up to cup her face and kiss her gently. "You'll be okay."

"For once, I really don't care about me." Santana said so quietly against Brittany's lips that even Brittany didn't hear her properly.

…

"… Well _I _knew I could do better than that girl. So I told her so. And the casting director became very angry with me, so I told him I could prove myself. Even though it wasn't my turn yet, he told me to step up and sing. So I did. I chose that wonderful Disney song, 'Reflection' from Mulan. Even though I was only _eight years old_ I swear I pulled it off _perfectly_. But that other girl got really mad at me and I could see her fuming, so I told her she just _lost_ the part, and she wasn't even a very good singer. I guess I was a little fierce because she burst into tears. I mean, I wasn't even lying. She wasn't very good. I did so much better than her!" Rachel was telling some elaborate story about an audition she'd taken for a commercial at age eight.

"So did you get the part?" Quinn asked with a raised eyebrow. Rachel flushed.

"Well, _no,_" She said a little defensively. "Some other blond girl did, and only because they 'didn't like my attitude'. It was totally unfair!"

Her friends laughed, and she looked a little put-out, until Finn said. "I bet you were amazing though."

"It's your personality that tends to get in the way." Kurt smirked, and Rachel looked resigned to the teasing, leaning back into Finn's arms. "Lucky that after you became my friend you really started improving."

"Hey I've done a lot of good for you too." Rachel pointed out, smirking as she decided to tease him back. "I mean, since I came into your life I've helped you get over your unfortunate habit of falling for straight guys."

Now it was Kurt's turn to blush, but he put an arm around Blaine. Though he knew she meant she'd helped him get over Finn, he was still going to use his defence. "Oh please, it was Blaine that did that."

Blaine laughed, looking pleased with himself as Rachel pretended to pout. Though he had to take care to avoid Finn's gaze.

Puck, Sam and Mercedes came back in with plates of pop-tarts for everyone. They all happily settled down to eat them, the relaxed atmosphere having made them trust their three cooks, who they knew had been watching each other carefully.

As they ate, Santana and Brittany snapped out of their personal bubble to join in with consuming their supper.

"Speaking of crushes," Rachel laughed "Remember Mercedes little crush on Kurt."

"Oh here we go again." Mercedes grumbled, pretending to be annoyed, by chuckling too.

"Mercedes liked Kurt?" This seemed to amuse Sam to no end. "How cute,"

He said this teasingly, tweaking her nose and making her roll her eyes.

"Not as cute as Kurt's crush on you." She said, smirking at both of them.

Kurt spluttered at her bringing it up. "Hey, hey, leave me alone." He said.

"You had a _crush_ on me?" Sam asked.

"Dude, that's why he asked you to duet with him." Finn said

"Oh," Sam looked dumbfounded "I thought he just thought I had a good voice."

"Oh my god _you're_ so cute." Mercedes turned his compliment back on him and mimicked his nose tweaking.

"I'm fairly sure everyone has had a crush on everyone at some stage." Santana broke in. "I mean seriously, have you ever stopped to realise how crazy we all are?"

"I don't know about _you,_ but I like it." Puck said with a huge grin. "Having different combinations of lovers is the best."

"Yeah _you_ would say that." Quinn scoffed.

"Well it's true, it was fun while it lasted." Puck said, "Though I wouldn't mind settling for one lover if I could find the right girl..."

"I'll clear the plates." Quinn stood abruptly, shoving the last of her pop tart in her mouth and snatching up the plates.

The Glee Club stared after her in confusion, except Santana, who was as perceptive with relationships as ever.

"How long have been trying to get her back?" She asked. Realisation dawned in the expressions around her. Puck looked rueful.

"Too long," He said simply. "It's driving me mad."

Before any of the curious questions buzzing in the air could be voiced, Quinn came back in.

"Right, bedtime," She said sharply.

Even though a few people did want to brush their teeth again, it was too much work to move the cans and put them back again, so they decided not to.

"Come on girls, into bed." Artie told them as he parked his wheelchair and waited for Puck to lift him into his own bed.

"I think we have everything covered." Sam said, only lying down when all the girls were settled.

They'd managed to surround them and were pretty confident none of them would be killed that night. It didn't mean they weren't still terrified.

Because somehow the killers words about them trying to prevent the unpreventable, still lingered in the air.

The white paper of the fairytale seemed to glow in the dark from the top of the cabinet at the side of the room.

And again, it took them over half an hour to get to sleep. The six boys 'standing' guard; the five girls all in a row with their hair spread over their pillows, shining in the moonlight that slipped through a gap in the curtains.

They really were like five special princesses, who had to be kept safe and hidden from the world. If the Glee Club hadn't been able to stop the Wicked Fairy from coming to the party, they would stop her curse from coming true. The princesses were _safe_. They had to be.

* * *

So do you think they've stopped the killer? And who do you think it is? Please review and tell me! Thank you very much to those who reviewed last chapter! don't stop now :)

Also there is now a map of the island, link on my profile page if you want to see it.


	20. Sleeping Beauty

The night was filled with a few voices talking in their sleep, and people tossing and turning. No one woke up, even when the wind picked up and the rain began to pound against the window. They were all drifting and dreaming, locked inside their dreams as though they may never wake.

There was a creaking noise as one person sat slowly up in bed. They looked around and took in the sleeping figures before standing slowly and placing their feet carefully so they made no noise and woke no one. The person slipped by everyone and stood before them for a long moment. Then, very carefully, they examined the boys sleeping near the front. They were _deeply_ asleep. It would be so simple to just slip right past them.

After watching them for a long moment, the figure smiled. This was so easy.

Way too easy.

…

The next morning it was the rain stopping that woke people. The sudden absence of sound left a yawning hole that jerked them into awareness.

It was a while, as they lay there, before they were awake enough to start thinking.

"Oh my god, did anyone die?" Blaine suddenly asked, jerking upright.

Everyone else following suit. For a moment they just stared, open mouthed.

Brittany and Santana and Mercedes and Quinn and Rachel were all there. All of them; sitting in bed staring at each other with wide eyes.

"This is amazing!" Brittany laughed, pulling Santana into her arms.

Mercedes laughed and hugged Quinn at the same time that Puck and Sam rushed forwards. Finn and Rachel were kissing again. Santana grabbed Blaine and ruffled his hair, laughing loudly.

"This is amazing!" People called, reaching in to hug each other until everyone had joined the group hug.

"We did it." Puck whispered.

"We all survived." Quinn gasped.

"We stopped them!" Santana laughed. "We stopped the killer."

With tears in their eyes, they sat back on their heels, seeming delighted.

"This is amazing." Blaine breathed.

Rachel and Finn were still kissing. Sam had crawled onto Mercedes bed to tuck her into his arms. Santana and Brittany were still squealing with delight and pressing quick kisses to every part of each other they could reach. Puck, Quinn and Artie had ended up in the corner together, because Quinn had to escape the sudden tension between her and Puck. All three of them were babbling incoherently.

"Isn't this amazing, Kurt?" Blaine finished, reaching an arm out behind him.

Instead of being able to loop the arm around Kurt's waist and pull Kurt to his side, it hit empty air. Blaine turned, assuming Kurt was still asleep. But his smile froze on his face. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Kurt's bed was empty, his pillow and sleeping bag in disarray halfway across the room, indicating a struggle.

Blaine screamed. The sound made the room fall quiet in an instant. Everyone turned and saw what Blaine had seen.

Kurt was gone.

Kurt was missing.

_Kurt._

…

Blaine was standing in an instant and his feet pounded across the room where he flung open the door, sending cans clattering to the ground in front of him.

The Glee Club were all following, except for Artie, who was left behind in the confusion. He had to wait, numbly, to see what was happening.

Blaine clattered straight to the bathroom, kicking cans out of his way.

"Kurt, you in there? You should have woken us!" Blaine's voice was tight with desperation, as if everything in him was holding on to the hope that Kurt was in the bathroom. He didn't stop to realise that it couldn't be true because the cans had still been stacked outside the door.

When he got no reply he stood hopelessly in the centre of the bathroom as if he didn't know what came next while Finn shoved past him and started kicking open stall doors, Puck following and starting at the other end. Rachel was already sobbing by the door, beside Quinn, who was trying to stay strong, and Mercedes who seemed as numb as Blaine.

When they didn't find Kurt they ran back down the corridor, pushing open doors to each room as they went. But still, no sign of their missing person.

As soon as they re-entered the Hall Artie yelled out. "Please tell me you found him?"

Sam looked guilty at the sight of Artie and quickly went to lift him into his chair.

As Sam sorted out Artie, Finn turned on Blaine with such fire in his expression Blaine almost screamed again, his eyes squeezing shut as if expecting a blow.

"Where's Kurt?" Finn asked furiously, his fists clenched.

"He doesn't know Finn. Shut it!" Puck snapped. He grabbed Blaine by the back of his shirt just as the boy tried to race past and keep searching.

"Look just wait. We have to search together and slowly, or someone will get lost like when we searched for Sugar." Puck snapped. "We already left Artie behind."

"But Kurt-" Blaine began.

"Won't be saved now no matter how quickly we catch him." Puck finished for him. "Right now we have to stop other people dying."

"No we can save…"

"Blaine he's probably already dead." Puck's tone was suddenly gentle.

"No!" His voice echoed, full of denial. "Kurt's not dead! He _isn't_ dead yet!"

Blaine shook off Puck's hand and lurched into the dining room and kitchen next door.

Puck swore and shoved open the door, so that he could see Blaine searching. He stayed focused on that, as if he couldn't bear to look at the rest of the Glee Club.

Just as Blaine was emerging again, having found nothing, Artie and Sam were ready.

So they followed him down the boys' corridor. Blaine avoided the room with the bodies, knowing it was full, and turned to open the first door.

He didn't have to go far.

As the Club surrounded him in the doorway of the first room, he saw it.

Kurt was inside.

Kurt lay on the bed, with one hand lying flat beside him with three drops of blood on the white sheet and one still trickling from it. A syringe lay discarded on the bed beside him. Kurt's face was pale and though there was no visible sign of harm, there was no liquid left in the syringe, only a faint trace of what must have been poison.

And worst, above him on the wall in a permanent marker, was written, Now_ it's your turn, Kurtsiekins._

"Kurt," Blaine was sobbing uncontrollably.

After seeing Kurt's beautiful face he had broken down into sobs, barely able to breathe, and certainly not able to see through his tears.

Unlike Mike, when Blaine launched himself at Kurt no one could stop him before he was kissing him.

"No," Blaine moaned, kissing Kurt again, harder, when nothing happened. "Wake up!"

Blaine grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and shook him.

"Wake up!" He screamed. "You can't die! Wake up!"

And then Puck had grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him backwards.

"Blaine there's nothing you can do." Puck was sobbing as well. He was only faintly aware of people shifting out of the doorway behind him as he pulled Blaine out.

Blaine was still struggling and screaming for Kurt.

Finn slammed the door behind them, not daring to look at his little brother again, aching at the sight of him lying there.

Maybe, if Blaine hadn't gone crazy and flung himself at Kurt in desperation to save him, the Glee Club might have watched him a little longer. They might have noticed that Kurt was still breathing.

Maybe Artie's logical mind might have whirred into action and thought about poisons and how Kurt's might not have spread enough to kill him yet.

Maybe it would have occurred to them to try and find and antidote, to try and save Kurt if he was still breathing and they still had a chance.

But no one had noticed.

And if anyone had, they didn't mention it. Because after all, if the killer knew Kurt's death was being drawn out by the poison spreading slowly through him, they wouldn't tell people who might stop it.

So the door clicked shut on the slow, jerky rise and fall of Kurt's chest.

So no one went to save him.

…

Puck managed to get Blaine to sit down, but he was inconsolable. He just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, clutching Santana, who sat beside him, and crying into her side.

"I should have known." Blaine gasped. "I should have _known _that it would be Kurt."

"Blaine that's stupid. Don't blame yourself." Santana sounded harsh, but it was most likely because she was trying not to cry.

"No but Kurt's the most beautiful person I've ever seen. _Of course_ they'd choose him." Blaine choked and realised he'd given himself the hiccups. "This is all my fault. He should have been in the middle with all of you."

"You sound like a mad man. There was no way you could have known. There's nothing you could have done." Santana assured him, rubbing circles on his back and ignoring the way his tears and snot were soaking her shirt.

"Yeah actually there is." Finn's voice wasn't stopped by Rachel's nails this time.

"Finn don't-" Sam seemed astonished that Finn would still suspect Blaine.

"You know," Finn continued "Since he killed my little brother."

"Finn I-" Blaine hiccupped loudly as he looked up at the guy who was sitting on the edge on the seat opposite him. "I know this is my fault. But I never did it directly. I would never-"

"Don't fucking pull that act!" Finn was suddenly up off the couch and towering over Blaine again. Blaine curled smaller into Santana's side. "Stop making those puppy dog eyes you _know_ Kurt liked. Stop pretending you're so fucking innocent when I know what you are _Blaine Warbler._ As if you _ever_ really cared about us,"

"Dude calm down!" Sam yelled. Blaine looked as if he'd stopped breathing.

"You _killed _my little brother!" Finn screamed "You killed him and now I'll kill you! I'll fucking _kill you, _Anderson."

And then as his fist swung around to smash into Blaine's jaw, Puck tackled him from the side. Finn's hand connected with Santana's collar bone instead.

"Fuck Finn." She swore, rubbing it and wincing.

Blaine was still whimpering at her side. Meanwhile Puck had pinned Finn to the ground, and thought Finn was struggling with all his might, Puck seemed to have to upper hand.

"What is your _problem?_" Quinn yelled at Finn. She'd moved around to sit on the arm of the chair beside Blaine, and stroked his back as well. "The love of Blaine's life just died, and you're calling hum the murderer. Look at him Finn."

Finn has stopped fighting. He was glaring at Blaine bitterly.

"He may have lost the love of his life, but I just lost my little brother." Finn said.

"Please just look at him, and then tell me you still think he's the killer." Quinn begged, knowing deep within her that Blaine couldn't be the killer, just by the look on his face.

Finn was totally limp, but his eyes turned to Blaine. Puck loosened his grip slightly, turning to look at Blaine as well. Finn saw his chance. With a sudden jerk upwards, he tossed Puck to the floor where he was knocked out as his head hit the leg of the sofa.

But as Finn started towards Blaine, Rachel leapt in the way, her own eyes squeezed shut with fear. It took her a moment to realise Finn was frozen.

"Get out of the way." Finn growled. "Rachel I'm warning you."

"You won't hit me." The confidence was back as Rachel squared her shoulders.

"Rachel, get out of the way. Blaine is - you can't protect him. He's a killer." Finn said.

"I don't believe that." Rachel said.

Finn's eyes scanned her face. Her face, covered in tears with her red eyes, was so familiar to him. It was so deeply ingrained to trust her. But… Finn hadn't been a good enough brother to Kurt. When Kurt was being bullied, Finn had cared more about his own reputation than protecting him. So he had to make up for it. He had to avenge Kurt.

"Rachel, you're wrong." A sudden, vivid image of Rachel kissing Blaine at her party flashed across his mind. "He's just manipulating you. Like everyone else."

Finn glanced up at Blaine's huge tea-coloured eyes over Rachel's shoulder.

"Finn, he isn't. You're getting blinded by your hatred. You aren't thinking clearly." Rachel continued. Finn looked down at her. She stepped forwards, her own features crumbling with tears again. Now Finn was making her cry. That made him feel guilty.

"Rachel, he was my brother. My responsibility," Finn tried to explain.

"Please don't do this. Threatening to kill Blaine? How does that make you any better than the killer? Finn I thought you were better than that." Rachel was crying harder now. "Kurt was my _best friend._ You don't think I'm just as angry as you are? But I can tell you this: Blaine would not attack Kurt. Kurt would not want you to attack Blaine."

Finn's brow crumpled, faced with Rachel and he steady words, he couldn't stay mad. Instead all the pain bubbled up and he started to cry.

Rachel stepped forwards and he dropped to his knees, curling into her arms the same way Blaine was curled into Santana's.

…

Kurt's death was hitting them even harder than Mr Schue's. They hadn't thought that was possible. But Kurt had been there since the start, and had been such a unique member of the club. He'd been one they'd all looked out for, and taken care of despite his wish to care for himself. He'd had a close relationship with every one of them. And it hurt, _so much,_ to have him gone.

He'd been Rachel's best friend, one of the first people to understand her. They had made plans to go to New York _together._ And now he was gone there was a gaping hole in her life, as if she'd lost her own twin.

Finn had lost his brother, who had been there for him even when Finn hadn't been a good brother in return. Kurt had taught him more about being a man than anyone, and helped him through so much. They were so different, but they still understood each other.

Blaine had lost the love of his life. Ever since Kurt had entered it, he had felt loved. His parents may have missed the point at times, but Kurt had always been there. Kurt was the strong, steady, and _adorable_ centre of his life. He was the most beautiful person Blaine had ever known.

Quinn also felt like Kurt was almost a little brother to her. They'd been paired together a lot for group numbers in glee club and bonded over that even when Quinn was very popular, and Kurt wasn't. They had great conversations and Kurt had never been distant to Quinn when Rachel was mad at her. He stayed neutral through their arguments.

Santana was the same. They'd first became friends in Glee Club, though not close ones. She'd started off with ulterior motives for returning Kurt to McKinley. But now she was _so glad _she'd done it. After spending weeks with him as a Bully-Whip protecting him she'd realised just how much she enjoyed the company of the boy who had just been a friend. He became one of her best friends. Kurt had been wonderfully witty at times. She'd loved him.

Noah's view on Kurt had probably changed more than anyone. He went from tossing Kurt into dumpsters, to wishing he could join in the battle to defend him. Kurt was a nice guy, and funny too. When he'd brought Blaine back and returned to McKinley, Puck had been shocked by how happy he was for Kurt. They'd really clicked, in the end, and became good friends. Kurt was his boy!

Mercedes had lost a best friend as well. Maybe she and Kurt weren't as close as they used to be, but that was how things happened with life. And Mercedes had still loved him. Kurt had always gotten on so well with her. It hurt to think she'd never see his scrunchy laughing face, or his amused eye rolling ever again. He was gone from her life.

Artie and Kurt had been the first guys in the Glee Club. Their friendship had been casual, but steady. Kurt was great to talk to, and Artie had always enjoyed having him there. Kurt was so supportive as well. He'd always been so good to Artie. It would be so weird not having that friend to go to. And it was only now that Artie realised how Kurt had become one of his best friends.

Brittany loved Kurt so much as well. He was so kind to her, always showing her where to go when she was lost, and helping her along the way. They'd worked together on his campaign for Class President, and despite their disagreements on parts of it, they'd remained close as they had been before. Brittany adored Kurt.

Sam's friendship with Kurt had begun from Kurt's crush (though he hadn't known it at the time) but had turned into a proper friendship in the end. Though they didn't have that much in common, Kurt never minded his impressions or his lame nerdy talk. Kurt listened to his problems and helped him out. Sam liked Kurt a lot.

But one of them must have killed him. One of them must have overlooked all that.

…

_No no, not him. Not Kurt. This is impossible. Not _Kurt_…_

_I think I'm going to start crying again. I can't stand this. _

_Oh no, why did they do this now? It's so unfair._

_I'll never be able to see him again. Never again._

_I don't get it… it wasn't supposed to be him. It was never meant to be Kurt. He's not a princess._

_What do I do now? I'm just so lost. I can't even comprehend that he's gone._

_We should have somehow predicted this. Surely we could have stopped it._

_Kurt. I just… Kurt?_

_Oh no, I lost him. I can't breathe. I lost him. This is not good. This is the worst. This is so bad. What is wrong with me, how could I lose him?_

_So this is what it feels like to die… to drift away into nothingness… I feel so alone… I can't breathe anymore… No one can help me anymore… oh god I'm dying… I'm dying…_

_Well that worked out well. I was worried for a moment, but it's all going smoothly. _


	21. You'll be in My Heart

Here's another chapter. This one has another song and I recommend you tubing it and listening to it while you read that part :)

Right now Quinn is the most suspected. And then Brittany, Artie, Sam tie for second place and Mercedes is also suspected. Funny how Blaine and Finn are suddenly no longer suspected when they were at the top. I am rather surprised people still suspect Artie actually, when I thought that suspicion was over.

Also, I wanted to confirm, these fairytales are the actual old Grimm Brother's fairytales, not Disney ones. So that's why you've seen Jack and Beanstalk and stuff, but you won't see Mulan or anything.

* * *

No one moved for a very long time. Blaine had grabbed the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and read it over and over. He kept crying until his tears had practically run dry. The rest of the club were in various states of grief. But most of them had found comfort in someone.

Puck and Artie were talking quietly in the corner, just remembering things. Every little story they had about Kurt, was told. Most of the Club were trying to ignore them because they couldn't stand it.

Finn and Rachel had given up on kissing and sat crossed legged opposite each other, looking into each other's eyes and leaning forward. After enough time doing this, their foreheads were touching. They didn't bother wiping away their tears. There was no point hiding them.

Blaine, Quinn, Santana and Brittany were still together on the couch. They couldn't help hearing the stories about Kurt. Blaine's sobs would become louder with every little detail, and that's why he kept reading the note from the killer, to distract himself and hold off the pain by turning it into anger. It didn't really work. He just ended up feeling worse. Quinn and Brittany were laughing occasionally at things being said, but they hadn't stopped crying either. Santana was a statue with tears flowing down her face. Her hands gripped Blaine and Brittany's shoulders as she sat, unmoving.

Sam was holding Mercedes close. She wasn't crying. It almost looked as if she wasn't breathing. Sam was stroking her hair in a continual motion.

"Do you still have those mp3s he sent you? Of him singing?" Mercedes asked suddenly.

"What, when we were going to do a duet?" Sam asked. "Probably somewhere here."

He took out his mp3 player and gave it to Mercedes. She quickly flicked through until she found them and then turned it up as loud as she could.

"Please go somewhere else." Blaine's voice sounded so tight it was as if he were choking. "I can't bear it if…"

Kurt's voice had already started and his whole frame was wracked with sobbing. Quickly, Mercedes got up and pulled Sam out of the room by the hand.

The door clicked shut behind them and left Puck and Artie's voices to fill the room. The faint whisper of Kurt's voice continued until another door clicked open and shut.

"I'm so hungry." Finn groaned. Crying always tired him out, and he also liked to eat when he was upset. So it only made sense that he was hungrier than ever.

"Let's go get you something." Rachel pulled him to his feet and dragged him towards the door. "You want ice cream?"

"You know me well." Finn smiled half-heartedly.

No one watched them go. They were too absorbed in Artie and Puck's stories. As Puck finished another one, Blaine stood up as well.

"I have to go." He couldn't stand it any longer.

"Will you be okay?" Santana asked quickly, trying to grab his hand as he went.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just want to…" He shook his head and backed out of the room without another word.

"Right, I'm following." Quinn said. "He can't be alone."

"But if you go, there'll be two of you." Santana pointed out. "And that's worse."

"Okay, come too then." Quinn told her.

"Britt are you-" Santana started.

"I want to stay. I want to listen to their stories." Brittany said, pointing at Puck and Artie, and already moving closer.

Santana looked torn, unable to bear leaving her. But then she thought of Blaine and how pained he'd looked. She thought of the comfort Brittany always took in her friendship with Artie. It was something she'd been jealous of when Artie and Brittany had been together. Now she accepted it because she knew Artie no longer pursued Brittany in that way.

So Santana followed Quinn out of the door.

…

Blaine was in his old room. And sure enough, he was lying where Kurt had slept each night. His eyes were squeezed shut and they stood uncertainly in the door when he didn't look up.

Then they realised he was talking. It was very quiet, but they could just pick it up.

"… I'll miss you so much. God, Kurt what will I do without you? You're _everything,_ Kurt. You're everything. What do I even do now? I wish you were here. I wish you could tell me what to do next. I miss you _so much._ It's only been minutes, but I need you. You always know what to do. Kurt, I've never been more lost. Please," He rolled onto his side, curling up with his knees by his chest. "Please talk to me. Please come back and talk to me. I don't know what to do."

Santana stepped forward warily, but Quinn laid a hand on her arm. She shook her head, and nodded toward the door.

"He needs a moment." The words were so quiet Santana had to strain to hear them over the sound of Blaine choking on his tears.

Slowly, she nodded and followed Santana back down the hall.

"You can't be dead. I need you!" Blaine's desperation made them want to cry. "I _need _you, Kurt."

"Wait, I need the loo." Quinn said just as they reached the door. She turned and made her way back to the bathroom. Santana went back inside the Hall, to find only Brittany and Artie were still there. Brittany was crying.

"Shit sorry," Santana said, dashing to Brittany's side. "I'm so sorry I shouldn't have left."

Brittany leaned into her side and she stroked her hair back, kissing her gently.

"What's been happening, Artie?" She asked.

The boy in front of her looked terribly guilty. "It was just one of the stories. She made me tell it again three times, and then she started crying."

"What story?" Santana asked

"Just about when Kurt and Brittany both dated. You know, way back in our first year of Glee Club." Artie said. He was watching them with huge eyes.

"What and you're shocked that made her cry?" Santana snapped.

Artie's tears spilled over and quickly Santana's expression softened.

"Sorry," She said with a sigh. "I just don't like it when Britt cries."

"I am sorry, I didn't think…" Artie began

"No," Santana interrupted. "It's good to remember him."

"He was the most unicorn of all." Brittany said, her voice muffled. Artie and Santana exchanged smiles through their tears.

"He was." Artie agreed.

…

Puck had joined Finn and Rachel in the kitchen, grabbing a packet of cookies. But when they started making out again, he went back through to the kitchen and pulled himself up onto the bench. He just sat there, eating, and staring out of the window.

Suddenly he heard a loud "Eww, guys please!" from Artie. The boy wheeled around the corner with his nose screwed up in disgust and Puck laughed.

"They still going at it?" Puck asked.

"Very much," Artie sniffed, looking back at the door and shaking his head.

"Brittany done asking you to repeat that story?" Puck asked. He'd left after the second time.

"Yeah, I made her cry." He looked deeply uncomfortable. "I didn't think about how awful it must be for her to remember. I just sort of told her."

"Ah, so I'm guessing Santana's with her now?" Puck asked.

"Yup," Artie grabbed his own packet of Oreos and wheeled up to the window, leaning an elbow on the window ledge and looking out with Puck.

"You look like you have something on your mind." Puck stated.

"Yeah, I just think I know who the killer is." Artie told him. He glanced back at the door to where they could still hear Rachel and Finn faintly. "Could you-"

He didn't even need to finish the sentence. Puck jumped up and shut the door.

"So who is it?" He asked as he returned to his post.

"Rachel," Artie glanced back at the door one more time as he said it. "I can't help but think it's her."

"Really?" Puck asked. "But she's such a peacekeeper lately."

"Exactly," Artie said. "She's suddenly trying to keep the peace? She was so dramatic back home. It seems really out of character for her. A good way to stop us from suspecting her is to try calm everyone down. Also, with Finn getting so worked up all the time, she doesn't need to create drama and stress herself."

"But Rachel wouldn't kill Kurt." Puck said slowly.

"_Maybe_, if Rachel actually cared about any of that. But if she's the killer, it's unlikely she ever really cared about anyone." Artie pointed out for what seemed like the millionth time. He'd been telling himself this over and over again with every suspect, because each time his humanity seemed to try and remind him of how these people were his friends. Artie had to force himself to stop thinking like this, just like he had forced himself not to break down when they'd seen Kurt's body.

"I guess the notes seem like her…" Puck agreed. "You know, dramatic and all that."

Artie nodded. "That's what I thought too. And she may have also been jealous of Finn's affection for Kurt. Because Rachel has always wanted Finn to herself,"

"Unless she doesn't love Finn." Puck said.

"Yeah, true." Artie cursed himself for, once again, taking everyone's love for granted.

"Dammit, Artie," Puck groaned. "I almost wish you weren't always right."

"I'm not always right." Artie said sharply.

"When have you not been?" Puck asked with a chuckle.

"I could be wrong, Puck. It's just a theory." Artie said sternly. "Please take everything with a grain of salt. We can't go accusing and hating Rachel. I'm just saying, she's the one we should watch."

"Yeah I guess," Puck rubbed the back of his neck as he thought it over. But he did trust Artie, and in the end, he was pretty sure Artie was right.

"We should tell Quinn." Puck said suddenly, standing up. "She hangs out with Rachel a lot."

"Okay sure," Artie agreed, wheeling after Puck as he went to the door.

…

"Where's Quinn?" Puck asked as soon as they were back in the living room.

Santana and Brittany were kissing as well, and Brittany drew back as they entered. Santana turned to face Puck and Artie.

"She's over there." She jerked a thumb to a mound of blankets.

"Quinn!" Puck yelled. Quinn's face emerged from one end of the blankets and she sighed.

"Seriously Puck? Can I have two seconds alone? I only _just_ found my place." She waved a book in the air and Puck just rolled his eyes at her.

It was odd how quickly the clouds of depression around Puck melted, just seeing Quinn's face.

"I have to talk to you." He said.

Santana and Brittany stood and wheeled Artie over to join them.

Puck began to explain Artie's theory. Quinn opened her mouth to argue, but Puck silenced her with a finger to her lips and she flushed and forgot to argue.

"… So that's why we think it was Rachel." He finished.

"It fits." Santana agreed. But Brittany was quiet by her side, and Quinn looked annoyed again.

"Guys stop it. I keep telling you that guessing the killer will get us nowhere. Please can we change the subject?" She asked.

"Sure thing beautiful," Puck said, his voice immediately becoming lighter.

"Oh no," Quinn groaned.

"Tell me, what book are you reading?" Puck asked.

"_Redeeming Love," _Quinn told him. "I no, I doubt you've heard of it or would enjoy it so don't bother asking about it."

Puck pouted. "Well, is it good?" He asked instead, well aware that Artie, Santana and Brittany were watching the scene with raised eyebrows.

"Yes it's very good. Not that I've had much of chance to read it with you busting in the moment I got settled." Quinn sighed.

"Well what were you doing before that?" Puck asked.

"Peeing. Seeing as none of us have peed all day, because of Kurt's death distracting us, I'm shocked your tiny bladder had lasted this long." Quinn said.

"Well damn, now I need to go." Puck groaned, pushing up from his seat. "But don't think you've escaped me, Miss Fabray. I'll be back."

He winked as he shut the door behind himself.

"Oh gosh, he's so bad." Santana said as soon as he was gone. "I can't _believe_ I used to think his lame flirting was hot."

"I can't believe he's flirting with me again." Quinn said, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you don't want to tap that again." Brittany's comment shocked them all.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"You guys were super cute together." Brittany shrugged. "I liked it."

Quinn was blushing even more.

"No," She said. "I don't need to go back down that path."

"I need the toilet as well." Santana said abruptly, standing and kissing Brittany on the top of her head before following Puck out the door.

"I'm serious, get with him." Brittany said as Santana walked away.

"Britt, leave it. I'm not getting with Puck because we were cute, okay?" Quinn said.

"Then get with him because you like him." Artie contributed.

"He's an asshole." Quinn wasn't very convincing. Santana smirked as she shut the door on their conversation.

Hopefully they would convince Quinn. She wanted to deal with Puck.

…

"Hey Puck!" She called as she entered the bathroom. He hadn't bothered to shut the stall door behind him, so she could see his back. "Do you really think that's how you'll win Quinn back?"

"What?" He asked, zipping up his fly as Santana shut herself in her own stall.

"I mean seriously, the cheesy lines and everything?" Santana continued. "Quinn's a little more classy than that."

"Okay, so you're suddenly the expert?" Puck asked, starting to wash his hands.

"Yeah, pretty much." Santana said.

"Okay, not listening to you." Puck responded, and the tap turned off.

"Whatever, don't get Quinn back then." Santana said. There was a drawn out silence. She could tell Puck wanted to listen to her, but was fighting against his pride. She flushed the toilet and came outside, to find Puck still there.

"Okay fine." Puck said. "What's your advice?"

"Stop _trying_ so hard. I'm serious, Quinn is used to being chased and told that she's beautiful. Pretty much every guy who sees her would tell her that. But you have the advantage because she's already likes you. You don't need to pursue her. The more you do, the more she convinces herself it's the wrong idea. If you back off a bit, she'll come straight to you. You can still flirt, flex your muscles and all that shit, but don't be so obvious about it. Let Quinn come to you." Santana was surprised Puck had let her finish her speech.

She turned on the tap and started washing her hands.

"Okay," Puck said slowly. "I see. Thank you."

"Yeah whatever," Santana said, and then she paused. "There's one more thing. Have you showered today?"

"Not for a couple days, why?" Puck asked.

"Didn't think so," Santana smirked again. "You think Quinn likes smelly guys?"

"No," Puck looked guilty.

"Then have a shower." Santana said.

Puck sighed, but agreed. Santana left him and he went into the nearest cubicle.

…

Puck finished his shower and came back to the Main Hall to find Rachel, Quinn, Artie and Brittany were gathered round Rachel's mp3 player again.

Puck squinted at the mp3 player's screen just as they paused it at a song called _You'll be in my Heart,_ from disney's Tarzan.

"What're we doing?" He hissed.

"Singing," Rachel said back. "It's mostly for Blaine actually. We thought we'd practise it now."

"Wait, where's Santana?" Puck asked suddenly.

"Oh, she popped in briefly to tell us she's sitting with Blaine. He's sort of telling her the 'Kurt and Blaine' story. You know, how they met and all that." Artie told him.

"Oh okay." Puck shrugged, turning as if he was going to join them. "I wouldn't mind hearing that."

"Nuh uh," Rachel grabbed him "You're helping us practise this song to sing to Blaine later."

Puck stayed. He let Rachel arrange him with the rest of the group. They'd already shoved all the sofas back against their beds, creating a nice open space to dance in.

"Wait, what about Finn?" Puck suddenly said.

"He doesn't want to help _Blaine_. He's still in the kitchen." Rachel sighed.

Puck groaned. Finn was so bloody immature.

"Now stop asking questions and get ready to sing. You do know the song?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah!" Puck said. "I was totally into Tarzan as a kid. He's a badass."

"_Anyway,_" Rachel said sternly. "Let's sing please,"

"What about Sam and Mercedes?" Puck asked.

"God Puck, it's fine!" Rachel screeched. He backed up with his hands raised in a gesture of defence. She was obviously very tightly wrung after the death of her best friend. It occurred to him it was probably a lot of effort for her to keep from breaking down like Blaine now that she'd calmed down from her initial lot of sobbing had subsided. "They're probably with Santana and Blaine and I bet Mercedes is still pretty upset so I'd _like _to get this ready and sing it for Blaine if you _don't_ mind."

"No I don't mind. Sorry I was just checking, I don't want anyone separated." Puck said.

Rachel sighed. "I know, Noah. I'm sorry. I just… I have to sing or I'm about to snap."

"Okay, start us off then." Quinn said gently from behind her, turning her around with a gentle hand on her arm.

Rachel stood at the front again and took a deep breath, nodding for Brittany to press play on the mp3 player.

"_Come stop your crying__  
__It will be alright__  
__Just take my hand__  
__Hold it tight"_

Rachel started the song with the first few words. They rest began to join her as they sang the next part:

"_I will protect you__  
__From all around you__  
__I will be here__  
__Don't you cry__For one so small,__  
__You seem so strong__  
__My arms will hold you,__  
__Keep you safe and warm__  
__This bond between us__  
__Can't be broken__  
__I will be here__  
__Don't you cry"_

Though the first part was going to be directed towards Blaine, their eyes turned upwards at the next part, thinking of their dead friends.

_"'Cause you'll be in my heart__  
__Yes, you'll be in my heart__  
__From this day on__  
__Now and forever more__You'll be in my heart__  
__No matter what they say__  
__You'll be here in my heart, always"_

Their eyes skirted over each other as they began the next bit. As misfits who never thought they'd be friends with each other, it really seemed to fit.

_"Why can't they understand the way we feel?__  
__They just don't trust what they can't explain__  
__I know we're different but deep inside us__  
__We're not that different at all__And you'll be in my heart__  
__Yes, you'll be in my heart__  
__From this day on__  
__Now and forever more"_

Briefly the song became about the murderer, and standing up to them. It was about holding out against them.

_"Don't listen to them__  
__'Cause what do they know (what do they know)?__  
__We need each other__  
__To have, to hold.__  
__They'll see in time__  
__I know"_

And then they sang to their dead friends again._  
_

_"When destiny calls you__  
__You must be strong (you gotta be strong)__  
__I may not be with you__  
__But you've got to hold on__  
__They'll see in time__  
__I know__  
__We'll show them together__'Cause you'll be in my heart__  
__Yes, you'll be in my heart_

_I'll be there from this day on,__  
__Now and forever more_

_Oh, you'll be in my heart (you'll be here in my heart)__  
__No matter what they say (I'll be with you)__  
__You'll be here in my heart (I'll be there), always__  
__Always__  
__I'll be with you__  
__I'll be there for you always__  
__Always and always__  
__Just look over your shoulder__  
__Just look over your shoulder__  
__Just look over your shoulder__  
__I'll be there always."_

The song ended with them all standing together, arms around each other, and crying again.

"I love you guys." Rachel whispered, burying her face in Quinn's shoulder and feeling the other girl's arms tighten around her.

"We love you too Rachel." Quinn chuckled through her tears as the hug shifted and everyone else joined.

"And now we can do that song for Blaine." Artie said in an over cheerful voice from his chair beside Rachel.

"Should we go fetch everyone?" Brittany asked.

Rachel pulled back. "I'll get Finn I guess."

"Good, because I'm not going anywhere near him." A voice said from the door way.

They turned to see Santana grinning at them. "That was awesome guys. I just heard the end when I came to check if you were ready for Blaine, but I can tell you it looked perfect."

Brittany joined her at the door and said "Let's go get Blaine."

…

When they returned, Rachel, Finn, Artie and Puck were sitting in the sofas at the end of the room.

Blaine was still sniffling and clutching the killer's note, but at least he'd stopped sobbing uncontrollably.

"Britt says you need me." Blaine said.

"Yeah didn't Mercedes and Sam come with you?" Rachel asked.

"No they weren't with us, I thought they'd come back in here." Santana said, her face falling slowly.

"But they were in the room with you." Puck snapped.

"No, they were just down the corridor. We thought they were still listening to those mp3s of Kurt singing." Blaine said. He'd gone pale.

"Fuck," Finn swore, lurching upright. "I knew we shouldn't have let Blaine go off alone. He probably killed them before Santana joined them."

"Hey now," Artie said. "That's not fair."

Blaine was already crying again.

"Why are we still standing here?" Quinn suddenly burst out. "We have to go find them!"

And so the Club followed her from the room, hearts racing, to see if their friends were still in the room they'd been left in.

They paused a second, taking a deep breath, outside the room Sam and Mercedes had shut themselves in. They couldn't hear Kurt's voice singing anymore.

Slowly, Quinn reached out and turned the handle of the door. It swung open ominously and they held their breath.

The room was empty…. Except…

In the centre of the room was a coil of something dark. Quinn winced at the sight of it and stepped closer to see what it was

"Oh my god," She breathed, bending down beside it. "It's hair."

And sure enough it was a matted and hurried braid.

"Mercedes," Quinn choked.

Tucked into a ribbon at the end of the twist of hair, was a small piece of paper. The Killer had struck again.

* * *

So the poll has been re-set. Please vote and review and all that. If you're confused about anything, go look at the Map of the island, or ask me! Love you all!


	22. Rapunzel

Wow sorry it's taken me so long. I've been very busy! But here's the next chapter. Thank you for your patience and you reviews.

* * *

Quinn pulled out the piece of paper and unfolded it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the rest of the Club kneel down to join her on the floor. Puck placed a steady hand on the small of her back.

"You okay to read?" He asked her gently. He knew how much Quinn treasured her and Mercedes friendship. He remembered the time they'd both spent supporting Quinn as she gave birth. And seeing as Sam was missing as well, he was likely dead as well. Quinn's relationship with Sam had been close too, despite their painful break-up.

"I'm fine," Though her voice was choked up, Quinn began to read the note.

"_Once Upon a Time there was a princess named Rapunzel. She was kept locked away in a tower I like to call 'Independence' and it took a long time for any guy to reach her. But one day a weary traveller came across the tower and climbed it. Rapunzel and the traveller quickly fell in love. _

_But the tower was guarded by 'the witch' and this witch was not happy about the love growing under her roof. So she decided she had to take drastic action. When the traveller left Rapunzel alone, the witch attacked, shaving Rapunzel's head. _

_And though Rapunzel is cast out into the desert to fend for herself in the original tale, I thought it was more fun forcing her to watch as the traveller returned to the tower. Once there he was killed brutally. Then he was thrown from the tower window and fell into the bushes below; his eyes gouged out by the thorns. _

_Your Rapunzel was thrown down after him._

_The End."_

Quinn finished and squeezed her eyes shut to hold back tears for a moment.

"Who's going to look out the window?" Artie sounded as if someone had their hands around his throat. The day just became worse and worse. "Because they'll be out there you know."

Santana was quivering with memories of Mr Schue's body and how she'd been the first to look. She didn't want to do that again. She was the first to stumble away from the window.

"We'll all look." Quinn said. She squared her shoulders and tugged on Puck's hand to draw him closer to the window with her. The rest stepped up with them, looking scared.

And sure enough the two were on the ground below.

Sam was facing upwards and there was a sharp intake of breath as they saw his empty eye sockets, with blood trickling back into his blonde hair. Like the story, his eyes had been ripped out.

And Mercedes was beside him, on her front so they couldn't see her face, but only the back of her now bald head, shaven unevenly as if the killer had been in a hurry. And they probably had, considering how little time they would have had to do it.

"I guess we'll, uh, carry them up." Finn sounded as if someone was strangling him, hands tightening around his neck.

"Yeah, let's do that." Artie's voice could hardly be heard.

…

They tried very hard not to look at their friends as they covered them and took them up. They didn't know what to do with the two eyeballs that belonged to Sam, and they couldn't look at them properly without gagging, so they ended up covering them with a rock and leaving them there, unable to bear it.

As they took their friends back into the Cabin, Blaine, who was at Sam's head, carrying his shoulders and crying quietly, suddenly froze, causing Santana and Brittany, who were carrying Sam too, to almost drop him.

"Kurt's in there." Blaine said with wide terrified eyes. "We never covered him up!"

"Well we'll do it now!" Finn called from the back, sounding furious.

"We can't _see _him again." Blaine choked. "I can't see him if he's-"

"Next room them." Santana snapped. "Quickly, Sam's heavy."

"Sorry," Blaine shifted Sam slightly and walked to the next door. He was biting his lip so hard he'd drawn blood. "I just couldn't…"

"No, I feel you. I'd rather not see him either." Santana agreed.

Her, Brittany and Blaine laid Sam down and then backed into the corners so that Quinn, Puck and Finn could bring Mercedes in.

"We should have covered him up." Finn looked very angry. "What'll we do when we get rescued? We have to go in their eventually."

"Nah, the Police will do it." Artie assured him as Finn and Puck lowered Mercedes down. "They won't make us look."

"How long till we get rescued?" Santana asked.

"We have two more nights." Artie said, "Just two more. We can definitely survive this!"

"Yeah wishful thinking." Rachel grumbled, leaning against the wall in the Hallway with her arms folded.

They were out of the room now, joining her in the hallway as she began to get more hyped up.

"We've said that every time and someone had died afterwards!" Rachel said. "So _how_ can we stop more deaths from happening?"

"We-" Puck began.

"It's _impossible!_" Rachel screeched. "We'll never escape them and we'll never get out alive!"

"Rachel, it's alright, you'll be alright." Finn took her arm and started leading her gently down the Hall, the club following looking incredulous at his sudden change of manner. He went for erratic Finn who might explode at any moment to ideal comforting boyfriend in seconds.

"The only problem is that we keep splitting up." Artie said matter-of-factly as Finn eased Rachel into the nearest chair as they entered the Main Hall.

"Well it's because we all forget not to split when we're so upset." Rachel huffed.

"Well we have to _not forget_." Artie snapped.

"That's not possible. We can't just _make ourselves_ not forget." Rachel growled back. "We say every time we won't split up but then _none_ of us remember."

"You're looking really suspicious now, Berry." Santana said with narrowed eyes. She didn't like the way Rachel was trying to stir worry. "Might want to shut up sometime,"

"_You shut up, Santana."_ Rachel yelled. "My best friend is _dead_ and now so are two more and I think I have _every right _to be upset!"

"Rachel, please." Blaine begged. "Kurt hates it when you yell and get all-"

"_Hated!_" Rachel snapped. "Kurt _hated _it, Blaine. He doesn't _hate_ it, he _hated_ it. Past tense! Because he's _dead!_"

Rachel had tears pouring down her face by now, and Blaine's face was paler than it had ever been. He fought the urge to clap his hands over his ears and refuse to listen.

"Don't-" Blaine whimpered. "Don't talk about him like…"

"It's the truth!" Rachel screeched.

"Shut the fuck up!" Puck slammed the door he'd been the last to walk through, drawing all of their attention. "I'm sick of everyone yelling at each other. Ripping out each other's throats isn't going to help anything!"

There was a guilty silence. Blaine's soft gulping crying was all they could hear.

"Blaine don't cry." Brittany whispered, putting a hand on his knee. "It's going to be okay."

"No it's not." Blaine said. "Nothing will ever be okay again."

"Blaine your life doesn't have to end just because-"

"Yes it fucking does!" Blaine wrenched himself out of Brittany's grip and stood breathing heavily as everyone stared at him. His brow crumpled and he ran his hands aimlessly through his hair as more tears fell. "You don't get it. He was my life."

"_Sure_ he was." Finn said bitterly. Now that Rachel seemed calm again his blood was boiling without any distraction.

"I'm so sick of you getting down on me!" Blaine responded, though his voice broke with a mixture of fear and sadness. "Can't you just leave me alone? Don't you realise I would never…"

"I realise that you _would_ and that you _have! _And I realise those big brown eyes fool everyone you've ever batted your eyelashes at. But they won't fool me." Finn was standing now as well, his fists clenched. For once everyone seemed too stunned to step in. There had just been too many deaths so close together all of a sudden. Kurt had barely gone and then Mercedes and Sam were wrenched from them at once; A double blow that still hadn't quite set in for Finn.

"This isn't an act!" Blaine yelling sounded like a whimper. "I'm not _acting_, Finn!"

"You took my little brother from me! You fucking murdered him and now you've murdered two more of my best friends!" The height difference was so much more obvious when Finn was towering over Blaine and Blaine was flinching in his shadow.

"You aren't the only one who had to lose Kurt." Blaine's watery eyes managed to meet Finn's in a show of bravery. "_I_ had to lose him. Rachel had to as well. Everyone here lost Kurt, Finn. Perfect, wonderful Kurt got taken from all of us. _I _lost him. You may have lost your little brother, but I lost everything."

"Shut up!" Finn yelled. "Don't you dare even talk about him like that you hypocritical little fag!"

The gasp that echoed after his words only highlighted the deathly silence that followed.

"W- what?" Blaine stammered.

"What the fuck did you just call him?" Santana asked, stepping forward with a swing in her hips and standing between Blaine and his attacker.

"I didn't mean it like that-" Finn gulped, seeing the fury in Santana's eyes.

"Yeah you did. When you say that word, you mean it like that!" Santana snapped, her high-pony swinging as she advanced on Finn. That quarterback felt a swift stab of déjà vu as he backed down. He remembered a time long ago when he'd become angry at Kurt in their old basement and said the same word. He remembered Burt coming to Kurt's defence as Santana now came to Blaine's.

"I really didn't-" Finn started again, feeling sick at the memory.

"Oh yeah, because I'm pretty sure we _all_ know what _fag_ means. And for a big brother who loves his little brother enough to attack the one guy who made him really happy because he thinks he's doing the right thing, it seems like a pretty hypocritical word to use. If Blaine's a _fag _to you, then isn't Kurt one too? Do you think _Kurt_ would be proud right now? Kurt who hated bullies more than anything? Because I'm pretty sure that seeing you right now he'd prefer Karofsky to the hot mess of Frankenteen monster man you've become." Santana's tirade wasn't broken by anyone, and Finn was backing away from her as she stepped closer, punctuating her words with a stab of her finger to his chest.

"Santana I don't-"

"Okay just shut up before I'm forced to actually be impressed with how quickly such a whale of a human keeps digging himself a deeper hole that he _actually fits inside._ I mean like fuck you didn't mean that word about Blaine in that way. You meant it that way every time you used it before. I bet you've even called _Kurt_ a fag before. I hope you feel bad about that _now_." Santana had his knees pressed up against the chair behind him.

"Look it just slipped out, okay!" Finn's desperation made his voice sound more defensive than he intended. Santana's eyes narrowed as he quickly backtracked. "I'm not saying Blaine's… life choices are bad. Well not the ones to do with who he's in love with. I just _know _he's the killer and I-"

"Imma stop you right there." Santana interrupted again, her eyes closed as if she were holding in a storm of emotion. "Before your idiocy makes me _literally_ vomit. Because you don't _know_ he's the killer at all. You're jumping to conclusions and making assumptions and forcing other people's decisions the same way you did when you outed me without my permission. Leave Blaine alone, and act your age for once rather than storming around like a toddler without his sippy cup."

"But Blaine's-"

"Crying," Santana completed his sentence, "Again. Thanks to you,"

"But-" Finn still looked incredibly frustrated. Rachel had joined him and she squeezed his forearm tightly to shut him up. Santana had turned toward Blaine, but suddenly she moved to face Finn again.

"Oh and call him a fag again and I will personally rip of your balls and _sell_ them to the killer; Even if I have to buy them back off Berry first, since she obviously have you whipped." Santana spat, nodding to Rachel with her arms folded and one eyebrow raised.

"I'll help her." Brittany said, an oddly protective look of her face that showed fiercely through despite the bags under her tired eyes.

Santana joined her on Blaine's other side and pulled him onto the couch Rachel had vacated.

"You okay?" Santana asked. When Blaine nodded she just sat beside him and rubbed slow circles on his back as she listened to Brittany comforting him with some nonsense story of how she knew Kurt had his own private unicorn in heaven.

…

"… and so he can ride his unicorn everywhere. Though not the same way he rides you, don't worry. But anyway I'm sure he'll be super happy, k?"

Brittany finished her story finally and smiled bravely at Blaine, waiting for a response. Everyone was watching them with various expressions of worry. Slowly, Blaine managed to turn up the corners of his mouth in a weak smile.

"K," He whispered in return. It was so quiet they could hardly hear him. Finn scoffed and lurched up, leaving the room.

"Finn!" Artie yelled. "Take two people if you're going anywhere."

"Whatever!" Finn yelled. Puck, Quinn Rachel sighed and stood. As they passed Blaine, Puck clapped him on the shoulder and nodded respectfully through his own tears. Quinn leaned in quickly and kissed Blaine's messed up curls. Rachel gave his a rib crushing hug.

"We're there for you." She told him before she left with Puck and Quinn to deal with Finn.

Finn was running his hands through his hair in the dining room, looking as if he wanted to hit someone.

"Yeah I know what you're going to say Rachel." Finn said as soon as he heard the door open. "And I can't calm down."

"I'm not asking you to calm down. I'm asking you not to explode. If you're angry just _try_ and hold it in a little. No need to upset everyone else even more." Rachel said.

"And if you're angry; yelling about it won't change anything." Quinn added. Finn whirled around in surprise at the sound of her voice joining Rachel's. He stared at Quinn and Puck, who he'd been sure would abandon him in favour of Blaine. In his bitter state he saw it all as a competition.

"If you think Blaine's the killer, do something about it. Find your evidence and stuff. But leave the guy alone. You just make yourself look like a jerk. None of us think it's Blaine. If you do, you just need to think it over because just now, you're acting like a crazy person." Puck said. Finn's jaw tensed with anger, but then he seemed to consider Puck's words. A spark developed in his eyes and his hands dropped to his sides.

As Quinn and Puck exchanged a confused glance, only Rachel saw the deep intake of breath Finn took as he swallowed his anger.

"Okay dude," He said with his usual half-smile forced back onto his face. Quinn and Puck's eyes snapped back to him. "I'll be normal or whatever."

"Okay," Rachel stepped quickly forwards, hands fluttering a moment before she took Finn by the sleeves and hurried him forward. "Let's go back and join the others."

Quinn and Puck went back through first, and as Rachel tugged Finn after them she stood on tiptoes, pulling him closer and whispered in his ear.

"What are you planning?" She glanced forward to make sure no one heard.

"What?" Finn sounded clueless, but she could see he looked guilty. "Nothing."

"Finn you can tell me…" Her brow furrowed.

"There's nothing. I'll just-I'll find the evidence to prove that it's Blaine." Finn said.

"Look I don't think it's healthy to-" Rachel began.

"Shh, it's better than me yelling, right?" Finn asked.

Rachel sighed and let him brush her hair back. "I guess so," She said.

…

Quinn was quietly explaining to Artie what had happened with Finn, in a whisper so Finn wouldn't hear. Finn and Rachel sat back down as far from Blaine as they could, though Finn watched him closely now.

Santana was stroking Brittany's hair now, and Blaine was sitting alone with his knees tucked up underneath himself. Brittany was telling another story to Santana. But this time it wasn't made up. This time it was another memory, like the ones Puck and Artie had discussed.

And as she told it, Quinn chuckled and added. "Oh yes Brittany! And don't you remember how much we laughed. I don't think you stopped for about five minutes, did you Mercede-" And then she froze and stopped speaking. The room was in a tense silence.

She'd forgotten, just for a moment, that Mercedes was dead too. The hollow feeling returned to her as she noticed her mistake. How could she have forgotten? Since it had happened they'd talked about Kurt again. They hadn't had time to dwell properly on the loss of Mercedes and Sam. And now it really hit Quinn for the first time.

"Oh," She gasped. To her right, Artie sniffled quietly as he realised it too. And Brittany started crying. Santana's jaw was clenched so tightly against tears it looked like it might snap. Puck was staring at Quinn as if she'd just punched him. Finn wasn't listening, but Rachel's face crumpled. Blaine's face had gone even paler and he blinked rapidly as more water leaked from his eyes.

"Mercedes is dead." Quinn's voice shook as she starting to really comprehend it. She'd seen the bodies but it hadn't seemed to true. She'd never stopped to think about what this mean. Hysterical laughter bubbled from her throat. "Sam is…dead."

"Don't say it." Rachel whimpered.

"But they are." Quinn broke down. "Oh gosh they are. They really are."

"Please stop it." Puck asked. And this time Quinn was silent. She fell back in her seat, curling up and Puck's arm quickly enveloped her. She cried into his shoulder and he felt like home.

* * *

Thanks again! I've really enjoyed writing this story so far, though many of the ships are not ones I often write about as the main characters so it has been interesting to do so.

Please continue to review and tell me who you think the killer is, as well as pairings you like seeing and even friendship you want to see more of.


	23. Promises

Here have the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, but I'm back at school now (sigh). Welcome new readers, hope you enjoy! There is Quartie, Unholy Trinity, Blaintana and Brittana as requested here.

I'm a little annoyed because someone, again, thinks there are two people working together. As I've said before, look at the thoughts and you'll see that only one person is the killer.

Thanks, and enjoy!

* * *

"We forgot to have lunch." Artie observed after a while. It was past 2.30 and no one had even remembered they should eat until now, and even then it was mainly Artie trying to pick up their spirits and take their minds off death again.

"I'm hungry." Finn said, even though he was one of the only one's who'd eaten that day.

So the Glee Club moved through to the kitchen and Quinn grabbed a bunch of pies from the freezer and passed them around the dining table so everyone could see the seals hadn't been broken, and hopefully be satisfied.

They all treated this task very differently, from Artie at the start examining them very closely, to Blaine, who just ran them listlessly through his hands without seeming to really look. He seemed more focused on stopping his hand from slipping sideways to rest on the thigh that was no longer there.

Then when all the pies ended up in front of Rachel, Quinn dumped the oven tray in front of her and let Rachel open all the pie packets as people watched her. She lined up the frozen pies and then carefully placed the tray on Artie's lap. He wheeled through and slid it into the oven, shut the door, turned on the timer, and went back into the dining room. Everyone was very quiet.

They all filled their own glasses, washing them out before filling them with water. The oven was being watched way too closely for anyone to go near it. A line grew by the sink as Quinn carefully scrubbed her and Artie's glasses since he couldn't reach the sink. When she was finished, she handed the dish cloth and detergent to Rachel.

Quinn wheeled Artie's chair for him so he carried her glass. Then she sat beside him, grinning and nodding to the chair. She was very determined not thinking about the absence of their many friends.

"I don't miss that thing." She said by way of conversation starter, tapping the arm of the chair. They could hear Santana sniping at Rachel because she was taking too long to wash her glass, and Quinn figured they had a little time before anyone joined them.

"I wouldn't miss it either." Artie looked a little upset and Quinn quickly reached out and laid a hand over his.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She said. "I know it must be hard for you. Are you feeling okay? Not too worried are you?"

"I'm okay." Artie said. "I've talked to Brittany and Santana about me not 'pressuring myself' too much, so I feel all looked after and well."

"They're right, you shouldn't pressure yourself." Quinn said, seeing that he seemed a little exasperated. "But I didn't mean okay intellectually. I'm sure you'll always be well able in that area. I meant emotionally. I just haven't been able to forget what you said that time."

She glanced down at the chair again and her false eyelashes glistened with tears. Artie sniffed, knowing she was going to talk about his chair again. He wished he could forget the chair. But oddly, with Quinn, he wasn't so ashamed talking about it. She understood, and she wasn't judging. Sometimes, with some of the guys, he felt like they pitied him. He hated pity.

"You said you were really scared because you knew you couldn't escape if they chased you. You said you had to work it out before they got you and I-" tears spilled over and she let them fall. That was something many of them admired about Quinn. She wasn't embarrassed to cry. Even when her parents had kicked her out, or when Puck had sang Beth to her in front of the Glee Club, she'd never tried to brush the tears off quickly and hide them.

"I'm okay." Artie said again.

"No you're not." Quinn interrupted. "You are scared. But I want to tell you we all are. I don't think you should feel bad, Artie. None of us could get away, from what I've seen. I mean even Sam, and he was so strong, didn't escape."

She choked a little on Sam's name, but continued on anyway. Artie was watching her and trying not to cry himself.

"And we'll be there for you. You know that right. There'll always be someone with you. We _love_ you, Artie. We'll _fight_ for you. Even if you might feel-"

"Oh Santana give it a rest!" Rachel entered loudly, waving her glass around so the water almost spilled. Santana rolled her eyes behind Rachel. "At least I _washed_ my glass at all. Yours will probably poison you."

"I ran it under the water and splashed detergent inside." Santana said in exasperated tones, sitting beside Artie and Rachel plonked down opposite Quinn.

Quinn and Artie laughed, because they could tell Rachel and Santana's argument was one of those petty ones that would blow over within in seconds and probably be helpful for reliving tension in the end.

"You hardly scrubbed at all. It won't be clean. You'll probably _die_!" Rachel said dramatically. HWne Santana sipped, unconcerned, she turned around. "Even Quinn'll agree."

"Don't bring me into this." Quinn said in a mock-defensive voice, pretending to cower into Artie's side.

"Oh they're cray girl, ignore them." Artie said in his own mocking, over-dramatic voice, waving a dismissive hand.

Santana snorted, tipping sideways and leaning on Artie's chair to hold herself upright and stop herself from spilling her drink. Rachel managed to keep a straight face a little longer before the corners of her mouth tipped up and she chuckled as well.

"Okay fine, Santana _might _live." Rachel sighed, winking. Then Santana smiled back and Rachel's face became serious. As Brittany came back in and sat beside Santana, Rachel said, "I really hope you do."

They wondered if it was terrible how used to death they'd already become.

"Who's she doing?" Brittany asked interestedly, having only heard the 'I really hope you do' and jumping to conclusions. The room erupted in laughter again.

"She's doing Artie, Brittany. See how she's sitting beside him and _leaning on his armrest_?" Quinn said with a twitch of the corner of her mouth, but an otherwise serious face.

"Do you want me to join in?" Brittany still thought they were being serious. "It'd be pretty hot with us three."

Rachel's barking laughter exploded out of her and made everyone else laugh louder than they might have otherwise.

At the moment that they were all chortling, Blaine re-entered. At the sight of them he froze completely, gripping his glass so hard his knuckles were white.

"Oh," He said so softly they didn't hear so much as see him as his mouth fell open.

The laughter sort of died in their throats. Blaine looked like he had no idea how to deal with joy. He looked as though he were totally lost, hurt and confused. He looked as though he'd forgotten laughter existed.

They were staring at him with wide eyes and he flushed. His mind was still reeling with the chuffing sounds of laughter. He remembered when Kurt used to laugh and it ripped a hole in his chest. Now everything else just sounded like pointless cackling. Why would anyone laugh if Kurt wasn't there to join in?

"I'm sorry." His brain caught up with what was happening and he almost fell over as he stepped backwards. They were probably managing to forget the death surrounding them. That must have felt wonderful. Oh no, he didn't want to get in the way of that. "I'll just-"

"Blaine, come in," Quinn said, gesturing so suddenly to the table that Brittany jumped and spilt water down herself.

"No it's fine. Please keep-"

"Don't be stupid. Sit down." Rachel said. She patted the seat next to her with such vigour that Blaine obeyed, a little scared.

The room was awkwardly silent. Blaine traced the rim of his glass with his finger and watched the water move. No one spoke.

Finally Puck entered, breaking the tension. He made sure he watched Finn come in behind him so he wasn't alone. Then, when Finn was beside Rachel, Puck took his own seat and they waited for the oven timer to beep.

It seemed a long wait, and Rachel suddenly leapt to her feet and said, "Let's sing the song we practised. Just to… try lift out spirits."

And so she ran for her mp3 player so they had music. They sang "You'll Be in my Heart" together like they'd planned; now feeling even worse than they had last time. Santana joined in even though she hadn't practised with them.

Only Finn and Blaine didn't sing. They sat there and Blaine sobbed again. He thought it was one of the most painfully beautiful things he'd ever heard because every verse stabbed him with a reminder of Kurt. Finn glared at Blaine and a steady stream of curses and insults flew through his mind as he watched what he believed to be a false display of tears.

When the song finally came to a close, Rachel flung her arms around Blaine before she hugged Finn. She didn't see the look of pure fury on her boyfriend's face, because by the time she'd turned back to him he'd schooled it into a small scowl.

It seemed any of Finn's sadness was rotting into hatred, and no one had worked out how to pull the real Finn back.

As they finished and sat down, most of them crying at least a little bit, Rachel started some long speech about how they had to stay strong. No one really listened to her and the timer beeped halfway through. Her redundant and rambling speech was interrupted for a more primal need; food.

…

The pies were hot and the conversation filled with talk so deliberately avoiding the topic of everything to do with their situation it was almost comical. In fact, they were just wondering how many boyfriends Taylor Swift had dated in their absence, and whether there'd been any new pregnancy scares among celebrities when Blaine groaned and lurched upright. He stood, shifting on his feet as if deciding which way to run for a moment, before jerking quickly to the kitchen. As many "what's wrong?"s followed him the problem became apparent. Blaine was gagging.

"Oh dear," Santana groaned, standing up at the same time that Rachel began to. But Rachel was pulled back to her seat by Finn and Brittany shot him a narrowed eyed look and joined Santana instead.

The Club could hear them cooing to Blaine as he threw up in the sink.

"It's okay Blaine, don't try to hold it back, you'll only make it worse." Santana grimaced "Trust me, I know. Stopping halfway through is worse than the vomiting itself."

Brittany looked up from where she was patting Blaine's back comfortingly. "You stopped making yourself throw up though. You promised."

"Of course I stopped Brittany. I stopped the second I grew up enough to realise it was not a healthy way to stay thin. And I've been way hotter since I stopped." She shrugged, and then turned her attention back to Blaine. "But that doesn't mean I don't still remember how shitty it feels. You alright now?"

He was gripping the edge of the sink as tears of embarrassment and sorrow dripped from the end of his nose.

"I'm sorry." He said after he was sure he had finished gagging. "I guess I wasn't that hungry. I shouldn't have forced myself to eat."

"You need to eat, Blaine. You haven't eaten all day and your meal just went down the sink." Brittany said gently.

"No I- I can't eat." Blaine sniffed. "I'll just throw up again. I only have to think about him and I-"

His eyes squeezed shut as his face contorted again.

"Sorry," he said and he was pulled into a hug sandwich initiated by Brittany. "I'm being so selfish. I should just put on a brave face. I mean, it's like I said to Finn. I'm not the only one who lost the most beautiful person in the world."

"God you're so sappy." Santana said fiercely, "You have every right to be upset, Curls."

She ruffled his ungelled hair and he nodded.

"Sorry," He said again, still holding onto Brittany, but slowly loosing grip. "But you're wrong. I can't just mope around."

"Okay, there is no way I gave you permission to mope. I'm just saying don't feel guilty for being sad."

"You'll mend. It'll take a long time but you will." Brittany said softly. "And after, you can always move in with me and Santana."

"After…" Santana echoed. She had almost forgotten there was a world and a life out there. It seemed so long ago.

"Yeah, after this and after school's all done. We'll be a foursome, us and Quinn… and anyone else who wants to join. Artie can come right?" Brittany grabbed Blaine's hand and unfurled his fingers.

Then she took Santana's hand too.

"Hey are you guys okay?" Quinn's voice made them jump. She was wheeling Artie in.

"The others are talking to Finn." Artie said by way of explanation.

Brittany quickly shifted Santana and Blaine's hands to one of hers, so that she could gesture for the other two to join them. They did so, and Brittany nodded for them to hold out their hands. Then she hooked her pinky with Blaine's, and the rest caught on and hooked theirs in too. Five pinky fingers, all interlaced.

"We'll get out of this." Brittany said. She smiled up at them all. They were so dear to her. She was very glad Quinn and Artie had joined.

She looked at every face. Blaine's trying to smile, Santana's steady encouraging gaze, Quinn's tender half-smile, Artie's hopeful eyes.

"I _promise_ I'm going to live." She said. "And you've gotta promise you'll-"

"No. _Brittany_," Santana sounded shocked. "We can't just _promise_ – I mean if something happens and we – I'm not going to lie to you."

"Good." Brittany said. "Then promise this and you can't die, because you can't lie to me."

"It doesn't work like that." Santana said. Then she saw that Brittany was about to cry. She thought fast. "I promise that I'll try everything I can to stay alive for you."

"I promise to try stay alive." Blaine sounded strangled again.

"I promise I will try to survive." Quinn said.

"I promise I will try not to die." Artie said.

"And _I_ promise not to die." Brittany's eyes sparked with determination. With difficulty, she leaned in a kissed their fingers.

"There." She broke off and smiled again. "I love you all."

"We love you." Quinn and Santana said in unison.

Blaine began to cry again. This was going to be the first time he said the words to someone since Kurt, "I love you too."

"Love you," Artie said in forced cheerfulness.

"Let's-" Blaine didn't finish the sentence. He just took Artie's wheelchair and started for the dining room again. Even heartbroken, he could tell when people wanted alone time. He'd seen the looks the three girls were exchanging. He knew they'd been friends since forever. They left Quinn, Santana and Brittany behind.

…

"Unholy Trinity, together in yet another bizarre scenario." Quinn said.

Santana laughed, and wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders.

"Yes, my two girls." Brittany said happily, turning so they were in a full circle. They rested their foreheads together in the middle.

"Together till the end." Santana sounded almost sarcastic, but her friends thought she definitely meant it.

"I'm glad we're still friends." Quinn said. "Even though you two are together and you could have left me alone."

"Of course we're still friends." Brittany stated.

"I'm glad we're still friends too." Santana said with an eye roll. "Even though you're close to Trollberry too, Quinn,"

"Hey," Quinn said. "You like Rachel too."

"Never said I didn't." Santana shrugged and it jostled to other two, making them laugh.

"I wish we could stay like this." Brittany sighed. "Forever,"

"I dunno, I think my back would get a little sore." Santana joked. As Quinn snorted, Brittany just leaned forward and gave Santana a sharp kiss.

"Oh shush." Brittany said, pulling back.

They stopped talking again. Soon all three were breathing in synchronisation as they'd slipped into the habit of doing together; breathing in and out together, just like they went in and out of life together.

"I love you the best." Santana said. "I mean, there are others I love now, but you were always the first two."

They pulled back a bit so they could look at Santana, because she sounded very serious and solemn, and that meant it was important. There was no trace of her usual snarky tone in her voice. She continued.

"I've loved you in so many different ways. I've thought I hated you, Quinn. I thought I hated you sometimes, Brittany. Yet through all that I loved you. You're both _smoking_ hot. Brittany, you changed my world and my life. Quinn, you shaped it as much as anyone I know ever has. I looked up to you at times, Quinn, and Brittany I'm ashamed to say I looked down on you before. But now I just love you. It's like everything got ripped apart and now I only have love. I can just love you two. I can just love little Blainers, crazy old Puck and dear Artie. Even our obnoxious Hobbit Girl. I'm _so_ full of love for everyone that's dead and I can never tell them I love them. Hell, I even love Finn, even though he's crazy as fuck right now." She laughed at herself. "I'm furious with him, but I love him and he doesn't know what he's doing."

"We love you too." Brittany and Quinn said it together, synchronised again.

"What's happened to me?" Santana asked. "I've been full of hate all my life. Where did all this love come from?"

"I think it was always there." Quinn said softly.

"Sometimes light just looks really dark, but them you realise you just blinked for too long." Brittany said.

"You always know what to say," Santana said breathlessly. Brittany pulled her closer and they kissed. This one was long and passionate.

Quinn politely left them in peace and went to stand by the door, so that she didn't leave them alone, but could give them a fair bit of privacy.

"I love you." Santana said to Brittany. "I love you and I'm in love with you. I couldn't live without you."

"Well," Brittany kissed her softly once more. "It's a good thing I promised not to die. You don't have to let me down."

And Santana hated herself for piling all her hope on that promise, even though it meant holding out her heart to be torn apart.

* * *

Please review because I would _love _to hear what you're thinking now!


	24. Suspicions

And another chapter... some people getting more suspicious. You guys seem to suspect Brittany and Finn the most now, with Rachel, Blaine and Quinn also coming pretty high on the list.

The chapter after this will be pretty intense so look forward to that :)

* * *

"Finn you're making that face again," Rachel said after they'd been alone for a bit and the sounds of gagging from the kitchen where Blaine, Brittany and Santana were had subsided.

"I'm not making a face." Finn said, quickly smoothing his brow and trying to look normal.

"You _are_." Puck agreed, frowning at him.

"Hey _you're _making a face too!" Finn said defensively.

"Oh my," Quinn sighed, standing. She could see this was about to become a petty argument. "There is no way I'm sticking around for this."

"What? There's nothing happening." Finn said stubbornly.

"There _is so_ something happening." Puck snapped.

"That's what _I _was saying." Rachel agreed, folding her arms. "Two against one Finn."

"So that means you _are_ making a face." Puck said smugly.

"Am not! My god, get off my back." Finn looked furious already.

"Two against one," Puck echoed.

Quinn groaned loudly and turned to Artie, who was watching awkwardly. "You wanna get out of here and leave these three?"

"Please," Was all he said.

So they escaped to the kitchen. They both knew that Finn would be calmed better with only Puck and Rachel. But Quinn still felt a little bad leaving them. She felt sorry for poor Rachel, so isolated by trying to comfort Finn that she was missing some of the last moments she could spent with her friends. And of course, Quinn didn't ever like leaving Puck. Not that she would admit that to herself.

"Look Finn," Rachel said as the door shut behind them and they started talking to Blaine, Santana and Brittany, "We aren't trying to attack you."

"We're trying to help you." The tension that had been building in Puck lessened as he said it. He'd been getting angry, letting Finn get to him. But really he decided it was better to just calm down and help Finn rather than fighting him.

"Yeah sure, just like everyone else." Finn said sarcastically.

"We _are_." Puck said.

Finn and Puck were glaring at each other, so Rachel quickly interrupted because they _obviously _didn't know how to talk to each other. If there was one thing Rachel could do, it was make her feelings heard in an eloquent way. She was good at drama.

"Finn, _I love you_. And Puck is your _best friend._ Despite all your differences, that's somehow still true. And despite all our ups and downs, we are made for each other. That will never change." She reached for Finn's hand and he squeezed his eyes shut and just focused on the feeling of her fingers around his. He was breaking apart again, he could feel it.

"Bro, we'll always be here for you. We just want you to stop going so nuts over this." Puck added.

"I wish I could reach in and make all the pain go away. But I can't." Rachel whispered, kissing his hand and starting to cry. "So I've just got to try."

"I want-" Finn's tone was all choked.

"You want?" Puck asked.

"I want you to." Finn whimpered, clutching Rachel's hand with his face scrunched up in pain.

Puck shot a questioning look at Rachel because Finn's comment made no sense to him, but she understood. Rachel pulled him forward so she could cradle him like he was a child.

"You want us to make the pain go away?" Rachel asked. Finn was choking on deep hitching breaths. He couldn't speak, but he nodded and her heart ripped even more.

"Oh god Finn," Puck mumbled. He joined them and wrapped an arm around Finn's shoulders, staring at Rachel.

She had tears in her eyes as she kept them desperately locked on Puck's. He looked totally lost, and slightly uncomfortable at seeing his best friend like this. The two of them didn't really cry in front of each other.

"Shhh," Rachel murmured, still staring at Puck, but directing her comfort at Finn. "It's alright. It's okay."

Puck wanted to say something, but he was coming up blank.

"My brother," Finn whimpered before crying took him over again. He was shaking so hard that the entire table shook with him. "I don't k-k-know wh-hat to dooo."

The tremors become more intense as Rachel leaned her head down to rest on his back, sobbing too. Puck awkwardly removed his hand from under Rachel's hair and turned away, biting his own lip. He was trying not to cry as well.

"Saaaam, and M-me-mercedes. _Sam,_ he was s-s-so happy all the time," Finn said desperately clinging. "And M-M-M-M-Mike and T-Tina and Sugar and Jo-oe and _Mr Schue _and Emmaaa and and and fucking _Kurt."_ He moaned. "Fucking – fucking K-Kurt I was never g-good enough I wasn;t a g-g-good b-brother."

Rachel gulped as her fingers dug deeper into the fabric of his t-shirt. Puck felt tears spill from his own eyes and his reached up and pressed the heel on his hand hard against his eyes.

"I want K-k-k-"

The end of Finn's agony was so abrupt Puck and Rachel both thought the sound had been blocked out momentarily. Then Finn straightened up and they realised they hadn't stopped hearing, it's just that the sound had stopped.

Finn leaned back in his chair, and through their own wet eyes they could see his blank face. Both of them leaned slightly forward, anticipating a whole range of possibilities. What really happened was the last thing they expected.

Finn smiled.

"Sorry about that, guys." He said almost happily, but there was an edge to his voice.

"Finn are you-?" Puck didn't even know how to finish that sentence.

He was rapidly becoming completely confused. Finn's face actually sort of reminded him of the time they'd taken those pills Mr Schue's wife gave them and they'd made Finn crazy hyper.

"I didn't mean to cry on you. Just a little down about… Kurt." Though he faltered on the name, he managed to keep smiling. "But that's okay. I can keep myself in check now. I won't break down on you again."

"Finn you should let it out if you're feeling-" Rachel began.

"I'm feeling great!" Finn interrupted firmly. "It's okay I have let it out, Rach. I just need to keep focusing on my goal and I'll be fine. No more tears. Wow, sorry you had to see that Puck."

He said this all very fast. Puck was pretty sure he'd finally gone mad.

"Finn, you can't recover that quickly." Rachel's brow was furrowed. "What's gotten into you?"

"Yeah, and what do you mean your goal?" Puck asked, "What goal?"

"Uh… finding out who's killing everyone and taking then down." Finn said, "And I'm pretty sure I know who it is."

"You're going to say Blaine, aren't you?" Puck sighed.

There was an awkward silence as Finn stood with his mouth open as if her were about to say something. But the door opened and he immediately changed what he was going to say.

"Hey look!" Finn said suddenly. "Here come Blaine and Artie. Hi guys!"

"Hi," Blaine's smile was wary, as if he didn't trust Finn's good mood.

"You all good now?" Finn asked Blaine.

Blaine's gaze passed over Rachel and Puck. The two of them seemed to be trying to converse silently. Rachel's lips moved ever so slightly and she jerked her head toward Finn. Puck gave the smallest of shrugs. As Blaine watched the little exchange, his eyes narrowed and his mouth tightened. Then he realised Finn was still staring at him. Just as quickly his expression went back to its usual innocent brown-eyed sorrow.

"Good e-enough" Blaine said. He was very worried now. He was worried that Finn had just convinced Rachel and Puck that he was the killer. He was terrified of Finn's rages and of his own depressed state.

Finn had seen Blaine's change of expression and was immediately even more suspicious. He especially didn't trust the way Blaine's face had snapped back into his usual puppy-dog look. He wished he could slap that off Blaine's face. Instead he smiled sat back and gestured for Blaine to take a seat.

"Thanks," Blaine said warily. Finn still did not trust his eyes. He realised no one else had seen the brief moment of change.

Rachel's view of Puck was broken by Finn and her head snapped back to Blaine with a forced smile.

"So, are you okay?" She asked sympathetically. "That sounded pretty awful."

"I- yeah," Blaine said, his voice still horse from both crying and then vomiting.

"You want something to eat?" Rachel asked. "You must still be hungry."

"Not even a little bit." Blaine said, screwing up his nose at the sight of food. The stress was just making his stomach churn.

Rachel seemed worried, but she didn't press Blaine, just watched him. Blaine sighed and leaned forward, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Rachel, I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, but there really is no point in me eating. I'll end up just…" He jerked his head toward the kitchen, where the three girls were still talking and grimaced.

"Alright," She smiled weakly at him and squeezed his hand in return. It had been a while since she'd talked to Blaine properly, or any of her other friends for that matter. She was a little annoyed at Finn because it was really his fault that she hadn't had time for anyone else. "Just make sure you come talk to me if you need."

"I will," Sometimes Blaine forgot that Rachel had been Kurt's best friend. She must feel almost as bad as him and Finn.

Artie started talking then, about cleaning up their plates, and as if it was their cue, the door opened and Quinn leaned up against the frame.

"Giving them a moment," She mouthed at the group. Artie chuckled at her eye roll and so Quinn put on a little act of checking her nails and sighing and pouting as if waiting was really annoying her. It pleased her to make them laugh, to bring a little bit of joy.

It was obvious when Brittany and Santana had finished kissing and talking because Santana suddenly noticed Quinn and said. "Oh very funny, Quinn. We're done, okay?"

Brittany led Santana out and Quinn rolled her eyes one more time before shutting the door behind them.

"Stack up the plates!" Rachel said. "Time to clean them!"

The group moved in almost complete silence, only Artie and Rachel tried to break it and get people to talk. Their conversation was stilted and quickly came to a stop.

…

When the plates were stacked there was a brief argument because no one wanted to go and do the dishes. Blaine timidly agreed that he'd do it, and then Rachel was furious because no one was offering to help. She got very defensive when someone pointed out she was offering either. Finally Quinn sighed and grabbed the stack of plates.

"Okay Rachel, me and Blaine will do it then, satisfied?" She asked.

"Thank god!" Santana groaned, taking Brittany by the hand and starting to leave. Finn and Puck made to follow them.

"Puck," Rachel hissed, grabbing Puck's arm. "You're helping me with the dishes, k?"

"Uh yeah okay," Puck looked puzzled, but he let Rachel drag him and Blaine away as Quinn followed with the stack of plates. Finn looked bewildered for a moment and then wheeled Artie out to sit with Santana and Brittany, glad he didn't have to be alone with them.

As soon as they were alone in the kitchen, Rachel jammed the plug into the sink and flicked the tap on so quickly the others barely had time to take two steps into the room.

"Puck I know you noticed it too." She said sternly, an overly-dramatic tone in her voice as she watched Puck's reaction. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Geez Rachel, I don't want to think he's the killer even if-"

"Not the killer!" Rachel scoffed exasperatedly. She turned and squirted some detergent in the water, explained as she did so. "I mean I think he knows who the killer is."

"Yeah, that's-" Puck sighed "That's what I thought too."

"Good," Rachel grinned and then turned to Quinn and Blaine. Quinn looked expectant and Blaine, very worried.

"Who're you talking about?" Blaine asked warily.

"Finn, of course!" Rachel said.

"We think Finn knows who the killer is." Puck explained.

Blaine's eyes widened. Didn't Finn suspect _him_? Did they really think Finn was right? Had Finn really convinced them that he was the killer? Blaine felt all the colour drain from his face.

"F-F-Finn?" He squeaked. "No I don't think he'd know who the killer is, why would he know?"

"He was acting really strange." Rachel said.

"And we mean _really _strange." Puck nodded emphatically.

Quinn looked impassive. "You know I hate this stuff." She mumbled, reaching past Rachel to turn off the taps before the sink overflowed.

"Yes, but this is _important_." Rachel snapped. "If Finn's seen the killer and been threatened not to tell…"

"Yeah except we can't just decide to trust him no matter what he says," Quinn pointed out. "Since we all know he hates Blaine. What if he doesn't know the killer for sure and just says it's Blaine to get rid of him? And we decided to blindly believe him. Then we're screwed."

"No I think him hating Blaine is like a cover-up. The killer's threatened him so he can't make it obvious he knows it's them. He chose Blaine as the scape-goat." Rachel insisted.

"I really don't think we should listen to Finn." Blaine said uncomfortably.

"But if he knows-" Rachel started.

"But if he doesn't we'll be in deeper trouble than before." Quinn said. She made firm eye-contact with all of them. "Finn doesn't know the killer, okay?"

Rachel looked sullen, and she slammed an oven tray into the sink with a splash. "We could be _this close_ to finding the killer."

"And we could also be very wrong." Quinn said, grabbing a tea towel and throwing it at Puck. "What if _Finn_ was the killer?"

"He's _not!_" Rachel gasped, sloshing water down her front.

"I'm not saying he is. You know I refuse to suspect anyone. I'm just saying _if_ he was we certainly couldn't trust him." Quinn amended, reaching to grab another tea towel off Blaine and try mop Rachel up.

"It's _fine_, Quinn." Rachel snapped, taking the towel to do it herself. "But that's not a problem because we know Finn isn't the killer."

"And if I told you Puck was the killer?" Quinn asked, nodding to Puck. "What would you say then?"

"He not." Rachel said, a little more weakly as she realised where Quinn's speech was heading.

"What about if I said it was Artie?" Quinn asked.

"We know it can't be Artie." Rachel sighed.

"Blaine? Santana? Brittany?" Quinn asked in quick succession, and Rachel was shaking her head at each name.

"So the only one left is me. Do you think it's me?" Quinn asked, a slight smirk in the smile on her face.

"No," Rachel huffed.

"We get it, Quinn." Puck murmured, and then Quinn jumped in shock because she hadn't realised how close behind her he'd been standing. Puck placed a gentle hand on Quinn's shoulder.

"Let's just finish this shall we?" He said softly. Quinn squeezed her eyes shut for a moment because she could feel tears welling up at his tenderness. Then she opened them, managing to stay calm.

"Aright," She agreed.

She swung away and picked up the tray just as Rachel finished washing it. Puck looked after her longingly. As Quinn asked just what strange thing Finn had done and Rachel started explaining, Blaine bumped a shoulder against Puck's.

"Kurt says you two used to be a thing." Blaine said quietly, still refusing to talk about Kurt in the past tense. "You and Quinn."

Puck shrugged and leaned against the back counter, watching Quinn's expression becoming incredulous, and then thoughtful as Rachel described Finn's sobbing and sudden change of temper. He tried to look casual, but there was something in his eyes that said otherwise.

"So you still like her?" Blaine asked feeling a little light-headed at the way the casual conversation was helping him almost forget what had happened. Puck took a long time answering him. In fact Quinn put the now dry tray away and starting drying the second one. Rachel was washing the first plate.

"She's beautiful." Puck said, struggling to find words. "Inside and out,"

"So are lots of people." Blaine said.

"Not as beautiful as Quinn," Puck's firm response made Blaine smile. He'd been hoping for that exact answer.

"That's how I feel about Kurt." He said out loud. Puck glanced at him, brow furrowed as he kept talking. "So maybe you do love her."

Blaine smiled at him. Puck was looking exasperated.

"I do love her. But she doesn't want me." He sighed. "I'm trying to win her over. Santana gave me some advice. I don't think it's working though."

"I think-"

"Are you boys going to help us or not?" Quinn asked.

They looked up to see both Quinn and Rachel glaring at them. Three more plates had stacked up as Quinn finished the tray.

"Uh right yeah." Blaine said, quickly getting a new tea towel as Puck started on a plate with his old one.

They finished the dishes quickly and went back to join the others.

…

Artie and Finn were having a very awkward conversation where Artie tried to explain how to use sin, cos and tan in trigonometry as they both tried to avoid the two girls making out on the opposite couch.

"Um, hi guys?" Puck's greeting sounded like a question.

"Thank goodness, you guys are done!" Artie greeted them very enthusiastically. With sigh, Santana pulled back from Brittany and they both sat up properly.

"Hello," Santana said casually, smoothing her jacket and smirking at Puck's stunned expression.

"Hi Santana," Quinn said sarcastically, "Having fun?"

"Yup," Santana assured her with a grin.

"Look I gotta go pee." Artie said, "Anyone else need too because with our new rules I can't go alone."

"I'll come." Puck offered, already going to stand behind Artie's wheelchair.

"I'm coming too." Finn said.

So the three guys left Blaine with the girls. Blaine, however, didn't seem to want to talk. It turned out that talking to Puck about love had made him feel better while it was happening, but worse in the long run. Now he couldn't get Kurt out of his head. He remembered how dumb he'd been, taking so long to realise he liked Kurt in return. He felt sick again.

"I'm going to have a lie-down." Blaine whimpered, walking over to the beds on the other side of the room and collapsing on top of his sleeping bag, grabbing his pillow and slamming it down over his head.

The girls watched him worriedly for a moment, and then Quinn sighed, turning away, and the rest followed.

"How are you doing Rachel?" Santana's voice was strangely warm. She missed talking to Rachel, despite how annoying she was.

"As good as I can be considering all this." Rachel answered. "You?"

Santana gave her a weary half-smile. "I'm the same."

"You're very sad though, Santana." Brittany said softly, brushing her fingers over her girlfriend's cheek. "I can tell."

"We're all sad, Britt." Santana told her.

"Of course we are, our friends keep getting killed." Brittany said. "That makes everyone sad and they can't not be sad."

"There are only eight of us left." Quinn said suddenly. "Did you realise? Only eight."

"Four boys and four girls," Santana said. "That killer is one creepy perfectionist."

"What do you mean?" Brittany asked.

"Well firstly they make sure all the deaths match their fariytales. And then they kill girls and boys in a fairly even pattern." Santana said. "It's like they have this whole plan they have to carry out."

"They probably do." Rachel said sadly. Quinn wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Brittany nudged her across the gap between sofas with the tips of her toes.

"Hey," Brittany whispered. "You'll be okay."

Rachel looked up with tear-filled eyes. "No I won't be."

Brittany leaned forward, and Santana was looking worriedly at her, as if she knew what she was about to do.

"Hold out your pinkie, you can join our pact!" Brittany said brightly. Rachel looked confused, but she did as she was asked. Brittany's hand was warm and strong.

"What pact is this?" She asked

"You have to promise me that you won't die. I've already promised, but I promise to you as well. I won't die, Rachel!" Brittany said with a confident smile.

"Don't promise her that, Rachel!" Santana said quickly. "Promise you'll try not to get killed, otherwise Brittany will expect you to keep your promise, and there's no way you can know for sure."

Rachel nodded. "No, of course," She said. "But I promise I'll try my best not to die."

Brittany kissed their clasped finger and straightened up, very satisfied. "Good,"

"Brittany I hope you're not putting too much hope into this pact." Santana said. Although she was hoping with all her heart that it would prove true, she didn't want Brittany to hope and then be hurt.

"The pact will work." Brittany said. "It has to."

Santana let the subject drop. She knew she wouldn't be able to change Brittany's mind, though she wished she could. She could imagine how awful it would be if someone died now. If Brittany would refuse to believe it, because they'd _promised_. She'd have to deal with that grief, and it would break her own heart.

…

Puck left Artie at the door and he wheeled into the wheelchair toilet by himself. Puck also went to the loo, and Finn decided to take a shower so there wasn't a queue that evening. No one actually talked until Artie and Puck were washing their hands at the sink, the shower noises meaning Finn couldn't hear them. Puck clapped Artie on the shoulder.

"How're you going with those theories?" He asked.

"Not so good. It's pretty hard to work out, as you can understand." Artie said sadly.

"Yeah. Hard to blame your friends, isn't it?" Puck said. He paused. "I assume you noticed how weird Finn was acting today?"

"You mean him being nice to Blaine?" Artie asked. Puck nodded and then glanced back at the door. Since Finn had started humming to himself, he quickly explained Finn's behaviour before Artie had arrived. Artie looked very thoughtful.

"You don't think Finn's the Killer?" He asked in a low voice, watching the shower door in the mirror.

"Maybe, I don't know." Puck grumbled. "I don't want to suspect him. But it's possible."

"That might also explain…" Artie trailed off and then started again. "I thought, when Kurt was alive, that he might know who the killer is. That would explain why they wrote that note directly to him. And he was very defensive of Blaine, as if he knew the killer wasn't Blaine, but also very scared, as if he knew who it was. He also almost died a few times, and maybe that's when he saw them. If the killer was Finn, that would make sense too. Because Finn wouldn't have wanted to kill Kurt. But if he was scared Kurt would reveal him, he might have killed him then. And he'd be feeling awful about that. Maybe that's why he's taking out his anger on Blaine. Also, Blaine would have been the person Kurt would tell."

Puck was thinking it over, but Artie sighed and back-tracked a little.

"I might be overthinking that though. Because I _also_ thought Blaine might have known who the killer was. Remember the way he stopped Kurt from swimming and stuff. I thought that might be a sign. If Finn is the killer, and Blaine knows, that would _also_ explain Finn's hatred of Blaine. Then maybe Blaine threatened to tell if Finn doesn't leave him alone. So that could be why Finn's being nice now? But I don't think Blaine would keep the secret after Kurt's death. He doesn't have much to live for anymore-" Artie stopped abruptly as the shower turned off.

"Quick shower Finn," Puck said.

"Yeah well I didn't want to keep you guys waiting." Finn called out as he pulled his clothes back on. "What were you talking about?"

"Just… stuff." Artie said evasively, already wheeling towards the door as Finn came out and hung his towel on the rail.

"We better go back then and see what we're going to do next." Artie said.

Puck didn't look Finn in the eye. He wheeled Artie out and let his best friend follow.

* * *

Please review and I see you liked the friendships I wrote in for you, I hope you liked these ones to! Love you all!


	25. A Gun

So here's the next chapter! Right now Brittany is definitely the most suspected!

* * *

When the girls and Blaine were joined by the rest of the guys, they found they had nothing to do. They were used to a constant cycle of death, mourning, suspicions, and then death again. It was weird to have free time in between. And they – some more than others – hated free time because it gave them time to dwell on everything that was going wrong. Blaine was asleep in his corner, and some envied him for being able to escape a while.

"I know!" Artie said after a few moments of awkward silence and listless wondering from those who hadn't sat down. "Let's watch a movie."

"There's no tv." Finn said.

"No, that cabinet has the tv inside." Artie said, pointing to the cabinet on the wall opposite one of the sofas. "Mr Schue mentioned it on the bus ride over."

"How does a tv fit in that?" Brittany whispered, as Puck reached up, unhooked the latch, and opened it.

The tv was fairly old and set back into the wall on a shelf, but it had a vcr player underneath.

"Wow it still uses videos." Quinn said.

"Do we _have_ any videos?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, Mr Schue said that too. They have a supply in that other cupboard with the board games inside." Artie jabbed a thumb at another cupboard. "Weren't any of you listening?"

"No," Quinn said.

Puck and Finn had pulled open the cupboard doors and they sighed. "All there is are a bunch of old Disney films."

"Oh I love Disney!" Brittany squealed, leaping up to join them. As they sat back down, she thumbed through them happily. "We'll watch one of the Disney princess movies or something."

"Lion King; too sad, Bambi; also too sad, Robin Hood; I've seen this too much it's boring, Aladdin! Oh let's watch this!" Brittany pulled it out and threw it across into Santana's waiting hands.

Santana took it out of the box and sighed with annoyance. The reel of film was pulled out and crumpled into tangles.

"Britt sorry, it's all messed up." She said, putting it back.

"That's okay, they have Sleeping Beauty too!" Brittany said, waving the dvd in the air. "It's one of my favourites."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Artie was eyeing the lump of blanket where Blaine's fuzzy mop of hair could be seen.

"It'll be fine." Finn said. He still had that weird off smile on his face. "Let Brittany watch what she wants. It's not like it's actually _him. _It's not_ Kurt. _This one's a girl and everything. I'll be fine."

So the put the movie on and settled down to watch it. Blaine remained where he was. They weren't even sure if he was awake, let alone aware of what was going on. Soon they were absorbed in the movie, even though it wasn't one they would all have chosen. They were glad to have an escape for a little while.

"Why didn't we think of this sooner?" Puck said happily as Quinn, sitting on a pillow on the floor in front of him, leaned back against his knees.

On screen the Prince arrived and joined in the 'Once Upon a Dream' song as he met Aurora properly. Puck reached out a hand and gently touched Quinn's hair. Quinn, occupied by the movie, leaned naturally back into his touch. He smirked a little to himself and he carefully wound a lock of hair around his finger and then started to comb his fingers through. Quinn hummed happily and shifted a little closer. Puck glanced sideways in time to see Santana spot them and roll her eyes in Quinn's direction before winking at Puck. 'Well done," she mouthed, and then focused on the movie again.

The song finished and the movie continued, becoming darker as Aurora was taken up to the palace. No one noticed that Blaine was waking up. He rubbed his eyes in confusion and looked up at the tv. The sight of Aurora crying by herself made him freeze. He knew immediately what the film was yet he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away as an eerie light appeared and Aurora started following it. Blaine pulled his pillow onto his lap. He was tucked into a tiny ball as he watched her reach a finger out and prick herself on the spindle.

He was vaguely aware to the tears beginning to spill over as the movie continued. He could feel the emotion inside him ripping its way out in the form of gasping breaths. All he could imagine was Kurt, dying.

Over and over again he saw Kurt's blood staining the sheet.

His eyes were glued to the screen, until finally Prince Phillip went to kiss the sleeping princess and then Blaine realised his crazed whimpering was getting louder and louder. And then Phillip kissed Sleeping Beauty and she woke up and his breathing had become screaming intakes of breath. His joints were locked in place and he just let loose these strangled sobbing shrieks.

The glee club launched themselves up from their seats and it didn't take Quinn very long to tip Blaine down, head between his knees, and start breathing with him. He could sort of hear her voice telling him what to do and he managed to focus on her face. Santana was there too, and it felt like Brittany and Rachel rubbing his back. Rachel's hair was tickling his shoulder. It was definitely Puck and Artie yelling to Finn to 'Get him some water.'

"Where's Kurt?" He asked. He was dizzy… he couldn't breathe. Why weren't his lungs working? Was that whimpering noise coming from him?

"Honey, just hold my hand and breathe." Quinn said, her eyes darting sideways to Santana. She looked scared.

"Tell Kurt…" Blaine saw the world tilt as he gasped for more oxygen. "Tell him…"

But he passed out in a dead faint there in front of Quinn.

"Oh gosh what do I do?" Quinn gasped, checking his pulse and then carefully moving him so he didn't snap his neck the way he was lying on Rachel's lap.

"He just passed out." Artie said. He was holding the remote, having turned off the tv the second the screams had started. "I don't think he's dying. It must have been stress finally making him snap. Poor guy."

Santana nudged Quinn aside to cover Blaine with his blanket and shove a pillow under his head.

"Maybe we should all get into our pyjamas and just relax a bit. I know it's early but it'll be so much more comfortable." She said after a few moments of stunned silence. "Then we can go to sleep whenever we want after we've have dinner. I think some of us might be as tired as our little Curly-topped angel here."

She ruffled Blaine's hair and stood smoothly. The rest of the Club followed to their bags and began pulling out pyjamas and toiletries. They went down to the toilets together, deciding they could leave Blaine alone so long as he was _entirely_ alone, with whoever the killer was in the bathroom with the rest of them.

…

Most people were in the showers and toilets when it happened. It was only Puck by the mirrors with a towel wrapped around his waist. He reached down and pulled on his pyjamas, and then dug inside his sponge bad. His fingers touched cool metal. Glancing around, Puck made sure he was alone, and then reached right into the bag and pulled out the object inside. It was just what he'd though it was… but why was there a gun _in his toiletries bag?_

He balanced the gun in the palm of his hand.

Brittany's cubicle door swinging open made him squeal, but not nearly as loudly as Brittany's scream at the sight of the gun. Almost right away, other doors were crashing open and wet people in towels leaning out. The rest, who were still in the showers or toilets, were calling out 'what's wrong?'

"Put it down!" Santana yelled at Puck, so loudly he almost dropped the gun. He managed to dump it quickly in the sink.

"It's not mine!" He said.

"Guys seriously you're freaking me out. What's happening?" Rachel's voice carried out over the top of her cubicle. All the showers had turned off.

"_Puck_ has just been discovered with a gun." Santana said.

"It was in my bag, okay? I don't know how it got there." Puck yelled in his defensive.

"Why is it always us?" Santana grumbled to Brittany, before shouting to the room at large. "Finish your showers, and we'll all go back and talk about this in the dining room."

Tentatively, someone shuffled in the shower and then two streams of water turned back on. Finn, who'd popped out of his toilet cubicle holding his fly shut, went back inside. A toilet flushed and after another moment Artie wheeled out to join them.

"Puck is safety on?" he asked, nodding to the gun.

Puck peered into the sink and nodded. "Yes, it's fine." Santana's eyes narrowed.

"So you know how to use it?" She asked, finding this suspicious.

"It's not like it makes me guilty to be able to tell if safety is on." Puck growled.

"Stay calm Puck." Artie said warningly. He started washing his hands and everyone watched him. The room was dead silent, apart from the hurried splashing from the showers. As Artie turned the tap off they heard Quinn's shower flick off as well. She didn't take long to dry off and get dressed. She joined them in her pale blue pyjamas and her chest was heaving as she stared at Puck. He took in her red eyes and realised she had been crying in the shower. She must have been stunned to hear he had a gun on him.

"Quinn I-" He began.

"Oh save it for later." Santana said. "There's no way you're talking to anyone until we've worked this out."

"Why do you immediately believe Kurt and Blaine when they say they're framed, yet not me?" Puck spluttered.

"Oh come on I did not believe them right away!" Santana scoffed. "Did you _see_ me when Brittany found Blaine? I did not believe he was framed."

"Two people have been framed before. Why would this be any different?" Puck demanded.

Finn finished in the toilet and walked out. No one had responded to Puck yet, so Finn did.

"It's not different, man. We know you could have been framed." He said.

"A gun's a little scarier than an axe or a bunch of pills." Quinn said, and her voice shook a little. She was still staring at Puck as if she didn't know what to do.

"Why?" Asked Puck. "Quinn you don't have to be scared of me I would never…"

"Hurry up Rachel!" Quinn yelled over the top of Puck. There was one last rush of water and then Rachel's shower ended as well. She dressed hurriedly and came out to join them.

"Before we go, can I use the toilet?" Rachel asked as if she was expecting rebuff. But Santana didn't tell her off, because Brittany quickly added. "Yeah I need to go too!" and then she realised she was still in her towel after bursting out of the shower.

"Be quick because this is sort of an emergency." Quinn asked of them as they shut themselves into the toilets and Santana in her shower to get dressed.

Brittany could hear Artie talking to Puck and wrapping the gun in a towel before deciding Artie would carry it back. Her attention faded, however, when she noticed something on the toilet paper. There was a row of square letters written there.

Brittany reached out hand and pulled the toilet paper off. She read it carefully, making sure she got it all right:

"_Brittany, this is a secret message from your unicorn friend, Kurt. You might think I'm dead but I'm not really. I stayed alive and now I need your help. You can't tell anyone else that I'm alive. Just meet me for dinner in the dining room when everyone else has gone to sleep. Eat while you wait. I'll join you to share our secret plans. _

_Flush this when you're read it. Don't tell anyone. Not even Santana."_

Brittany gasped with delight. Kurt was alive! And she could go see him!

She quickly finished and flushed the message, holding her happy secret close to her heart. She felt like everything might finally be okay. When Brittany left the toilet it was impossible to keep the happy smile off her face.

"Brittany?" Santana said questioningly as she watched Brittany wash her hands. Rachel came out of the next toilet over, but she was ignored.

"Yeah?" Brittany asked, smiling at the worried group in the mirror.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked.

"I'm fine Santana." She reached for Santana's hand and squeezed it as Rachel started drying her own. "Everything's going to be okay now."

And then, while they still watched her in shock, Brittany turned and gestured for Puck to follow her "Let's go and do this and then we can have dinner and go to bed."

…

Artie placed the gun on the table in front of Puck, who flinched as it hit the wood with a thud.

"Is this yours?" He asked first, just to start things off.

"No!" Puck said loudly. "I _said_ it's not."

"Why was it in your bag then?" Quinn asked, her chin tilted up proudly, though it was really to stop the tears she could feel building. She didn't want to believe it was Puck. Puck was the last person she wanted it to be. She knew the gun didn't incriminate him, but she felt betrayed.

"I don't know. It's probably because the killer," He glanced at Finn despite himself. "Put it there."

"I think we know that the killer put that gun there, whether the killer was someone else… or _you_." Santana said.

"It's not me!" Puck said again.

"That's an unfortunate habit of yours." Quinn said slowly. Everyone glanced at her and noticed for the first time just how pale she was. "The way you get so defensive I mean. Every time you get accused of something you seem to get really _crazy_ defensive. It's pretty suspicious, Puck."

Puck took a deep breath. "I'm not defensive." He said.

"Yes. You are." Quinn said, starting to cry. "Stop denying everything Puck! Stop trying to deny everything!"

"I'm not the one denying things _Quinn._" Puck retorted, gesturing to her. "You're the one in denial."

Quinn gasped and then quickly regained composure. She knew he was referring to the way she kept denying her feelings for him.

"Don't bring that up now." Her voice was dangerously steady. "You've just been discovered with a gun. There's no way you can divert the attention to me."

"Okay so I pulled a gun out of my bag. But like Blaine, I wouldn't have done that out where people could see me if I was really the killer!" Puck said. "If it was really my gun why would I bring it out then? It makes no sense! How it could be mine? I was _framed._"

"I believe you, Puck." Artie said tiredly, and then smiled slightly, trying to make a joke and ease the tension. "You know, as much as I believe anyone in this situation."

Puck sighed. "Thank you, Artie."

But Quinn still wouldn't make eye-contact, even if the rest of the group seemed to be accepting him.

"Let's just make some dinner." She said as she watched her friends nod in acceptance of Puck's comment. "Who's helping?"

"Take at least two other people." Artie said warily.

"Us girls will go, but you guys are on dishes duty." Santana said

"Fine," Finn said, already standing and taking Artie's chair out with him.

Puck followed, grabbing the gun as he went and saying "I'll lock it in the cupboard with the phone."

"Make sure he does!" Santana called after them. "And don't wake Blaine or I swear to god…"

…

Puck tiptoed over the beds where Blaine's curly mop lay on his pillow. He opened the phone cupboard at the end of the room and tossed the gun inside. Then, with Finn and Artie watching his back, he shut the door and said "How do I lock it?"

"I don't know." Finn said, looking at Artie.

Artie sighed and glanced around the room, wondering if they could shove something in front of the cupboard. But none of the cabinets would reach high enough, so he shrugged.

"We'll leave it for now." He said. "We might find something later."

And so they sat down and flicked on the tv. They tried to find a channel that might have something, but none of them seemed to be connected. Artie realised they hadn't seen any satellite dishes or anything, so they switched it off.

"Puck _I_ don't think it was your gun." Artie said, and Finn nodded.

"If anything I think it's a lot less likely that you're the killer now that you've been found with a weapon. Unless you knew that and so you planted the weapon on yourself so that we thought you'd been framed." Artie pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "It's complicated. But the point is I don't think you are the killer."

"Who do you think it is?" Finn asked him.

Artie held Finn's gaze for a long time and then glanced at Puck. After he and Puck had talked about their suspicions together, he really was starting to suspect Finn. But he wasn't about to tell Finn that.

"I don't really know." Artie said. "I haven't been able to narrow it down."

"Oh right," Finn said. He looked over at where Blaine was sleeping and his fists clenched as Blaine mumbled something in his sleep.

The silence stretched and they became lost in their thoughts. No one spoke.

…

The girls didn't take too long to get dinner ready. They just made some lasagne, singing "Once Upon a Dream" softly as they went because it was stuck in their heads. They talked about nothing important, except for Santana expressing her worry over Blaine's condition. Then they called the guys through.

"Blaine's asleep." Finn grunted as he arrived, walking right up to the steaming meal and scooping himself a huge helping.

Puck and Artie followed, murmuring appreciatively. But the girls exchanged looks.

"Good." Santana said. "We'll let him sleep. He needs a rest."

"But he also needs to eat." Quinn added. "I'll go and wake him."

"I'll have to come with." Santana said. "Can't leave you two alone,"

So they made their way out and gently shook Blaine awake. He woke slowly, pushing his fringe back and peering at them.

"Had such a vivid dream." He mumbled at the sight of their faces and the sound of their gentle words.

Then he seemed to wake up a little more. He saw how worried even Santana looked and the event of his fainting came back to him in a blur. Crying too hard so he couldn't breathe and not remembering how or why he should. Gulping in air with loud gasping shrieks. Fainting as everyone surrounded him.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry guys." Blaine mumbled, ducking his head. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."

"It's fine," Quinn smiled. "I'm used to looking after hysterical cheerleaders anyway."

"Yeah because Blaine's a hysterical teenage girl." Santana said sarcastically, pleased as it made Blaine crack a smile. She helped him up and they went off for dinner.

…

Dinner was a very quiet affair. Most of the talking was meaningless again. The couples couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Quinn determinedly didn't look at Puck, whose face was oddly pinched. He seemed like he might cry. Brittany was happy and smiling and though Santana was glad she was feeling better, she was worried that the reason might be Brittany putting hope in the pact. She didn't know a thing about Brittany's mysterious note.

When they were finished that, they all went and brushed their teeth. The guys did the dishes and then the pyjama-clad group went back and settled into bed. They talked about book and movies they liked to avoid the horror this time. They ended up falling asleep in the middle of Brittany's long talk about the deep and meaningful nature of Winnie the Pooh.

When Brittany realised everyone was asleep, she held her breath a moment, listening carefully. Then she crept out of bed, grinning. She got to meet Kurt. She got to talk to him and hear his plan of how to get out. She couldn't wait to save everyone and get out.

Brittany silently slipped into the dining room and was greeted with the sight of three steaming bowls of porridge. A piece of paper lying in front said "_Start supper without me. I'll be there soon."_

So Brittany sat down with a little sigh of happiness and started to eat. Spooning up the warm porridge, she wondered how quickly her and Kurt would be able to save everyone. She was so glad she got to be a part of the rescue.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open quietly, and it wasn't until the last second that she saw the shadow against the opposite wall. Someone was standing behind her.

But they yanked her down with a fistful of hair before she could cry out, and a very familiar voice whispered in her ear "Goodbye Goldilocks."

And then she realised. She realised she had been tricked and she was going to die. A hand clamped down over her mouth before she could scream and as she tried to lift a heavy arm she found she couldn't. Had there been something in the food? Her body was so heavy and she couldn't feel her limbs.

"Wait," Her voice was slurred as she spoke around the loosening fingers. The killer wanted to hear her, so they loosened their grip. "I can't die I promised."

There was a faint clatter and though her drooping eyelids she saw their silhouette of the killer highlighted by the moon streaming through the window. She thought they looked unfairly beautiful considering the fact they were killing her right that moment.

"I promised. I made a pact. Santana-" The sleepy words ended in a gargle as sharp pain ripped across her throat. She tried to breathe but a fog danced quickly across her head. Her thoughts were muddled. This was all her fault. Why had she believed that note. "Wh-why am I so stupid?"

There was blood coming up through her throat and gargling in her mouth. She choked a little again. There was another slash of cold metal, tearing at her skin.

And then her body hit the floor with a dull thud and the figure was gone.

* * *

Aww that part was sad to write. Please review and continue with the wonderful feedback!


	26. Goldilocks

Wow I really got into the writing zone for this one. It's kind of depressing I'm sorry. Almost everyone thinks it's Quinn now. I'm so glad you're all enjoying it!

* * *

In the morning Blaine woke before anyone else because he'd already had a lot more sleep than them the day before. He realised Santana's arm was around him and smiled. It did make it a little harder to get up without waking her, but he managed it.

His friends all looked so peaceful. Except for Finn. But then he'd been going a little crazy lately. Blaine looked over them for a while before he realised something was wrong. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Why had Santana been cuddling only him? Usually she held hands with him and Brittany… but not today.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw Brittany's empty bed. Quickly he fell to his knees and shook Santana awake.

"Santana," He hissed "Santana please,"

And her eyes fluttered open. The sight of his startled face made her jerk upright so quickly that it smashed their foreheads together.

"What's happening?" She asked.

"Brittany," Blaine pointed to her empty sleeping bag. "Sh-she's gone."

Santana's face fell her eyes widened. "No, that's- she's just gone to the toilet. Silly thing. I'll go and get her."

She tried to stand but Blaine caught her arm.

"You have to take someone with you." He said. "Let's wake the others."

So they did, Santana shaking more every minute, Blaine still not quite able to even comprehend what was happening. He could tell Santana was overcome with worry, but she was trying not to show it.

When everyone was sitting up confusedly in bed, Santana stood before them trying to look tough.

"So Britt's missing and she probably went to the toilet by herself so let's go and check." Santana said.

"Oh no," Rachel gasped. "You don't think she-"

"No." Santana was harsh. "She promised."

And then she turned on her heel to head to the toilets, but Quinn caught her ankle as she went and almost made her fall.

"We're checking the kitchen and stuff first." Quinn said. "Just in case."

"She's not dead." Santana snapped. "She isn't."

But despite herself she followed as Puck and Quinn led the way to the kitchen. She felt a small warm hand slip into hers and glanced back at Blaine. He was biting his lip so hard he'd drawn blood.

Blood.

Santana turned around just as they opened the door in front of her. Rather than the bead of blood growing on Blaine's lip, she was faced with a puddle of it.

Blood.

And Brittany.

She was lying beside in the remains of a shattered broken chair.

Everyone was frozen. Santana pulled away from Blaine, his hand dropping to his side.

Her knees gave way and she was crouched beside Brittany. The blood soaked into the knees of her pyjamas, but she didn't notice. One of her hands fluttered out and then pressed against her Brittany's neck, as if she could close off the flow of blood.

"B-Britt?" She said softly, tears springing to her eyes. "Sweetie?"

She was shaking and her vision blurred as she blinked and felt hot salty tears spill over.

"Honey wake up please." She said, her red stained hands moving up and brushing back Brittany's golden locks of hair. "Sunshine I need you."

Her index finger brushed Brittany's eyes as if they might open.

"Santana," Puck's voice was barely audible, but because everyone was quiet it sounded far too loud. "She's not going to-"

"She promised." Santana growled, fist slamming against the ground and spattering the blood around as she whirled viciously to spit the words at Puck. "She'd not dead! She promised!"

But then she started to weep. Because she knew she was wrong. She knew that Brittany had been wrong. The sunshine of the world had just been sucked out. How could anything good exist anymore? How could Brittany be looking at her with those bright eyes and talking with so much optimism at one moment, and be dead the next?

Santana's gasping was smothered as she pressed her blood covered hands to her mouth to hold back a proper scream and then turned back to the body of the love of her life.

Her hands shuddered violently as she brushed back Brittany's hair again. Her girlfriend was gone. There was nothing left in this body. It was just a gilded cage left empty after the beautiful bird had flown away. Santana's whole face crumpled as she leaned forward over the body. Her head ended up resting of Brittany's silent chest and she let herself sob louder and louder. There was blood in her hair and all over her clothes, not the mention the stains on her face, but she didn't even notice.

"She promised. She isn't dead. She promised me." Santana breathed out deeply and her intake of breath sounded like she was dying too. "Brittany never breaks her promises."

But this time the words were as empty as Brittany's body. Brittany had broken a promise. She'd done the one thing she'd always said she wouldn't do. She'd left Santana. She was gone.

Quinn and Blaine fell to their knees at the same time and each put an arm around they broken friend. Blaine was pretty sure that whatever was left of his heart was being squeezed into a hard lump in his chest. He didn't know when he'd become so attached to these two girls, but it had happened. Rachel and Puck put a hand on each shoulder and stepped in close so their knees pressed against her back. They formed a comforting circle, and as Finn wheeled Artie around the other side, Artie reached out a hand and pushed Santana's hair away from her face so that he could see her.

"Santana, I think this time she couldn't help it." He whispered. Santana straightened a little and he brushed her cheek gently with the hand that had brushed back her hair. "But she _loved_ you. She always did."

Santana leaned into Artie's hand and curled in on herself, and closer to the Glee kids behind her. As Finn crouched beside Artie, she could see the horror in his eyes and she had to look away.

"I know that you freaking dumbass." She whimpered in Artie's direction. But something made the title sound more like a term of endearment. Artie smiled weakly at her through his own teary eyes and his hand fell to squeeze her shoulder over Puck's.

"You'll be okay." Quinn said. She was losing it too. They could hear the anguish in her tone.

"No I won't." Santana's voice broke. "None of us will."

She reached out and grabbed one of Artie's hands, and one of Finns. She took a deep breath. She could feel everyone's hands on her. She could feel their support surrounding her. She held back the screaming inside herself.

She wasn't going to explode. The world was not ending.

Santana took a deep breath. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She tried to think about the Heaven Brittany had always believed in. She tried to imagine that her last moments had been contented and oblivious. She tried to hold her heart together.

But she couldn't

"We're all here for you." Rachel said. She was trying to help. It didn't work.

"Can we all shut up?" Santana asked. She swallowed again and then squeezed Finn and Artie's hands before dropping them. She shrugged the hands off her shoulders and stood up. She couldn't keep the terror and the pain inside. She was about to explode.

She could feel the need to punch a wall, or kick someone in the face. Something in her was burning.

Santana pulled away from the group, her feet sloshing slightly in the blood and making her go pale.

"Santana what are-" Puck started.

"I need to be alone." She said. She was still holding together her tough exterior. Her face was pulled so tightly into a serious yet neutral expression that it looked like it might crack.

"We can't let you-" Rachel tried.

"Yeah you can because a) you aren't the boss of me and b) I said I fucking need to be alone so I fucking need to be alone." Santana hissed. She closed her eyes and then opened them again. "I'll be back in like half an hour tops."

And she was gone before anyone could say anything.

…

They gave her five minutes before someone spoke.

"Do you think we should get her back?" Rachel asked. She never could stay silent, and it was obvious that her anxiety was overwhelming her.

"We should clean this up before she returns." Quinn said, "And find the fairytale."

"I know what that'll be." Puck said. His gaze moved over the broken chair and then he nodded toward the table and they saw the empty bowls of porridge and the little note tucked beside them.

The Club stared and them shuddered and looked away. Their eyes fell on the amount of the red seeping liquid that covered the floor.

"So do we mop or…?" Artie's face so pale and his jaw so tight he seemed like he might vomit.

"There's stuff in the laundry." Quinn said.

They all went together, listening for sounds of Santana but not hearing anything.

It took them a long time, and lot of tears, and great difficulty, to clean up the majority of the blood. At one point, Blaine vomited again in the kitchen sink. He was so weak and shaky when he returned that they gave him the task of cleaning to porridge bowls so he didn't have to face the blood. Unfortunately, Rachel ended up gagging at the sight of the blood getting under her nails and threw up as well. Because the sink was full of water, she had to fumble for a bowl while she sobbed and shook.

And still Santana had not returned

Then her and Blaine just sat and held each other while they cried. Finn was so furious at the sight that he slammed the bowls back in the cupboards so hard they chipped.

And still Santana had not returned.

They went together to collect sheets and gently wrap Brittany in them. As they covered her and saw her friendly face for the last time, none of them _really_ saw her through their tears.

And still Santana had not returned.

They carried the body and laid her down beside Mercedes and Sam. When they closed the door they had to clutch each other on their return to find their way back past their blurred vision. They sat down in the seats in the Main Hall together.

And still Santana had not returned.

So they all got changed and those who had blood on the edges of their pyjamas and on the knees where they had knelt beside Santana cut their pyjamas down into shorts with a pair of old scissors because they felt they wouldn't have time to wash them and they couldn't bear to anyway. They threw the bloody fabric in the bin.

And still Santana had not returned.

"I'm getting worried." Quinn said finally. "It's been ages."

"You're right. It's already ten am." Artie agreed, frowning at his watch. None of the colour has returned to his face. He'd cried longer than the rest as well, with Puck patting his hand awkwardly and wondering if he'd still been just a little in love with Brittany. She was his first after all.

Artie's red-rimmed eyes snapped up at the almost silent gasp from Rachel beside him. The rest turned to look at her too as they followed his gaze.

"Oh no." Rachel said, standing quickly. "You don't think she tried to k- she wanted- you don't think that she wanted to j-join Brittany and-"

"Die?" Quinn choked. "Oh no we have to go find her!"

"Santana wouldn't kill herself!" Finn said firmly as they flew up and began to exit. Puck, wheeling Artie out, just turned and jerked his head at Finn.

"Hurry up! You never know." He snapped. So Finn followed.

They didn't find it too hard to track Santana's progress, considering the trail of blood she was leaving. It was just small smears from the bottom of her pyjamas, but because she'd followed the wooden pathway built for wheelchairs, it was easy see the smudges.

They followed this wooden path all the way to the lakeside.

…

Santana had escaped from the room, keeping composure. Then she had merely ran, because she had to burn off the crazy negative energy inside her.

And when she reached the lake she stared at the lakeshore for a long moment, everything in the little ball in her chest started to unwind.

She was still shaking violently. The horror was getting to her. She took another of her deep and supposedly calming breaths, and looked down at herself.

Blood.

She was covered in Brittany's blood. She only realised it now and it made her gag. Then she screamed, tearing at her clothes.

The sounds echoed in her ears as she managed to rip off her pyjama pants so that she stood in her underwear. She threw the dripping clothing into the water, horrified by the stains. Next she tore off her top and because it was so therapeutic, she ripped at the fabric with her hands. Her screaming turned into to frustrated and agonised shrieks.

Santana could no longer tell if she was shaking for fright or cold, but she waded out into the water, feeling it swirl around her ankles and then up to her chest. She flung her head underwater and tugged and ripped at her hair as she untangled the knots in it and watched the blood leach out.

Her roots ached when she was finished, but she felt cleaner. She tried splashing cold water on her face in an attempt to wake herself up.

Instead she thought she was going to throw up.

All she could think about was Brittany. Everything reminded her of Brittany. The water, her own underwear, and especially the blood.

"Brittany," Santana whimpered. "Britt,"

Her nose was running and she was a mess, but she moved back a little and collapsed in the water. She sat there and rubbed at her arms, her nails digging in, until she got all the blood out.

"Brittany," she repeated the name as she scrubbed. Her skin was red with a mixture of cold and scratches.

In the distance she saw a single bird flitting across the sky. It was so happy and free. It's little lithe body twisted in the sky like Brittany's dancing.

Santana screamed again and kicked at the water with all her might. A splash flew up and the bird disappeared in quick flaps of the wing, alarmed.

"Fuck you!" Santana howled. "I hate everyone! I fucking hate y-yy-y-y-you."

But she was crying again, and fell back to her knees in the water. She felt the rocks digging into her skin but she didn't really notice. Santana knew how easy it would be to just swim out now. She could die the same was Mike had. She could join those she cared about…

But Santana would never do that.

She just whimpered and slowly regained control of her breathing. She was used to dealing with hardship. She'd be okay.

She was used to this.

Brittany would still be with her, as cheesy as that sounded.

Santana laughed bitterly and then cried harder than ever before. She thought about everything she'd lost.

Damn, she'd thought it had been hard when it was just her little Kurt, and her other dear friends. Those were the people she never expected to love this much, so it had hurt in a strange way, like she'd lost something before she fully grasped what she had.

They'd been a wall of friends around her guarded heart, helping her keep it hidden and catching glimpses. She's let them see parts of the real her, but never the full her.

This time was different.

Because Brittany was the only person she'd ever let right in to the centre. Brittany had each of her gentle hands wrapped around Santana's heart and she'd seen all of it. She knew _all_ of Santana Lopez. But Brittany was gone and Santana was sure her heart had been ripped from Brittany's tender grasp by the murderer. And then the murderer had killed Britt and ripped the heart to shreds in the process.

It was even worse because whoever had done that was one of her loved ones. Whoever had done that was one of the people she'd let in. One of the few people who knew she actually had a heart, had just taken advantage of that to break it.

But more than that, this wasn't about Santana.

Because though Brittany had captured Santana's heart, she was so much more than just that. She was the rare spark of brilliance in a world of dim stars. And now someone had put out the light forever. It wasn't fair that there should be a world without Brittany S. Pierce. But there was.

"A world without you." Santana murmured, her eyes squeezed shut against her tears and her pounded headache.

She just sat waist deep in the water as these thoughts ran through her.

And after a while she started talking aloud again.

"I'm going to look after our little Blainers, okay?" She said softly. "I know you love him."

There was no answer, but in her mind's eye, Santana could remember Brittany's smile. She knew the exact way it would tug at her lips. That was unforgettable.

"And Quinn and I will take care of everyone." Santana said. "I'm going to need Quinn. You were right, when you said the same thing every time we fought. I do need Quinn. She'll miss you too, Britt Britt. And I'll take care of Artie. I know you still loved him, even if it wasn't in that way. It was still some kind of love. And I guess I'll even be nice to Rachel, and forgive Puck for being an ass sometimes. And Finn… maybe."

She knew this was where Brittany's expression would become confused, and she could picture it in high quality.

"I think the killer was Finn. I do think that now. And it's not just because I sort of like him the least, because I don't really know who I like the least. It's just that he seems the most suspicious." Santana sighed. "If I find out for sure who did it, Britt, I'll make them pay."

The wind whispered through her wet hair and her shivering became more intense. She drew her knees up and then, slowly and quietly, she started to sing. She sang 'Songbird,' because it was their song.

As the words tumbled out she realised how right they were. As she sang "I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before." She knew it was true.

Brittany was gone, but still she just loved her more with each passing moment.

…

That's where the Glee Club found her. She was standing now, her arms outstretched, singing to the open sky with tears pouring down her face and ripping into the lake along with the water that trickled down her bare back, glistening in the dim sun that peaked between rolling dark clouds.

"Oh thank God." Quinn gasped at the sight of her, not even flinching at her nakedness.

For once all the guys were modest. Even Puck didn't want to look at Santana standing in her underwear in the water. Finn averted his eyes, embarrassed, and Artie was looking at Quinn as if asking what to do next.

Blaine stepped forward first and Quinn grabbed Rachel's hand and followed. Blaine shrugged off his thick woollen jumper as he approached. He kicked off his shoes and didn't bother with his socks, wading straight out. Quinn paused by the water's edge and pulled Rachel's skirt off before she could say anything, leaving her standing in her leggings. Rachel stepped out of the skirt and let Quinn take it. They turned in time to see that Blaine had reached Santana.

He reached out a shaking hand as she finished the last notes of the song and then gently laid it on the small of her back. Santana turned slowly to face him.

"Hello," She said in a flat voice, tossing her hair back a little. Her eyes were very red, but at least she'd cleaned up a little bit while she was sitting in the water.

"You look freezing." Blaine eyed her scratched arms with worry. Instead of handing her his jumper he pulled off his shirt as well and then wrapped it around Santana's shoulders and rubbed to warm her up as her dried her.

Santana just sobbed harder and leaned in to give him a rib crushing hug while he continued to rub her back and hum comfortingly in her ear.

Then Blaine pulled back and slipped his jumper over her head. Santana wiped her fresh tears away before she moved to stick her arms through the holes. Blaine put an arm round her and led her back to shore, where Quinn quickly enveloped her in a second hug. As soon as Quinn let go, Rachel dived in to hug her too. Santana managed a short laugh as the breath was squeezed out of her.

"Try not to kill me, Berry. I'm going to be fine." Santana huffed as she pulled back and Quinn gave her Rachel's skirt. Santana screwed up her nose at the pattern but put it on anyway.

Blaine's hand was still warm and comforting against her back, and Quinn held her hand all the way back up the Hill to re-join the three guys who had waited.

"Still scared of boobs Finn?" Santana asked jokingly. Finn just spluttered, but they could see that Santana felt a little lighter to be able to tease them again.

She took Artie's chair, determined to help out. She didn't realise they'd been worried she might kill herself. Instead she found herself concerned with how they were doing.

"Look at you, Curly-Top, your triangle eyebrows are flat with worry." She bumped Blaine with her hip and he managed a smile. "And Quinn and Rachel, you haven't made a bossy comment since you found me. I hope you're not forgetting your inner divas."

"Don't worry about us." Quinn said softly, exchanging a significant look with Rachel.

Santana clenched her fists tighter around the handles of Artie's chair for a moment because she'd hoped to start a conversation and distract herself, but no one seemed to be taking the bait. The silence stretched and she had to try very hard not to start crying again.

Strangely enough, it was Puck who picked up on her need for conversation.

"We found the note, Santana." He told her. She quickly turned her gaze on him.

"And?"

"It's Goldilocks, but we haven't read it yet." Puck told her, seeing the tension disappear slightly from her shoulders.

"Good. I want to read it with you." She said firmly.

Before they could say anything else, a few splatters of rain hit them. And then, rather quickly, it built up until it was pouring down and they were running toward the cabin.

They slammed the door behind themselves, panting after the long run up. They left Artie's chair to drip all over the dining room floor and Puck carried him along with the rest of the club into the living room. Here, everyone grabbed more clothes and towels to wrap their wet hair in. They got changed and then gathered in the kitchen.

Their 'brunch' occurred at lunchtime and they all ate the sandwiches ravenously because they'd missed breakfast. It was only when they were finished that they decided to read the note from the killer.

"Who do you want to read it, Santana?" Artie asked.

"You can." Santana said, staring at the paper as Artie picked it up and opened it.

"_Once Upon a time there was a lovely young lady with golden hair who walked through life as if the world was the most wonderful place. She trusted everything to be safe, and never thought twice before doing things. With her head in the clouds and her heart open to all, she came across a little place in the woods. _

_Goldilocks trusted that the place would be completely safe, so she snuck in by herself. When she saw the bowls of porridge, she ate. When she saw the seats, she sat down and made herself at home. When she was tired, she was ready to sleep there._

_But the owners returned, and they were not happy to see this naïve little girl in their house. She was a fool for entering, and a fool for trusting them. The three bears tore her to pieces as a punishment for her crimes of stupidity. _

_The End."_

Artie had tears running down her cheeks again, and he looked up to see that everyone else did too. He looked each and every one of them in the eye.

"Brittany's not stupid." He said. "I don't know which of you wrote this, but you're wrong. Brittany isn't stupid."

He screwed up the paper in his hand and threw it at the wall.

"I wish I'd never called her that." He growled "I was the last person in the school to call her that!"

He was sobbing again, and Santana reached out and hugged him tight. Artie squeezed her back, still shaking with his own sorrow.

"I'm glad she was with you, Santana." Artie mumbled into her hair. "But I wish things had ended better between us."

"It's okay." Santana sniffled. "I called her that too and I'll always regret it."

"Same," Every other person in the room managed to say that at the same time. And it made them laugh, just a little.

Santana couldn't help thinking that the laughter was definitely good for them. Brittany would be so much happier just knowing that she still knew how to laugh.

* * *

I'd absolutely love to get feedback for this one! It was pretty emotional so I want to see what you thought. And does anyone want me to re set the poll? I haven't done it in a while.


	27. Imagine

So here's the next chapter. Writing this made me so upset. And you get to see more of the killer than ever before. You have no idea how hard it is to write those parts without giving away who it is. There's quite a bit of division among reviewers as to who the killer could be.

* * *

It was time to do the dishes, and they all crowded into the kitchen, bringing a chair for Artie. Puck commandeered the crew of dish washers with an air of trying very hard to distract himself. The rest of them were willing to obey him. They actually listened to Rachel's babbling for once. Even though they'd heard the story of how the _Wicked_ musical came to Broadway a million times, they were happy to hear her tell it again. This new line of conversation came to an abrupt stop however, when Rachel laughed and said.

"So of course in the future I _have_ to be in it. And Kurt will do it with me, as Guy-linda…" She only realised her mistake when the sound of shattering china made everyone jump.

They turned to see that Blaine had just let go of the entire stack of plates he'd been carrying to the cupboard. He seemed as startled as all of them by his slip up.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to drop them. I-I just didn't- I mean I hate to think that- It's just Kurt- and I- I really didn't mean-" Blaine stammered through an apology as Rachel muddled her own apology over the top of him. Their babbling voices got louder and louder until Finn slammed the door of his own cupboard shut.

"Just shut _up_ Blaine." He snapped. "Clean up the pieces. It's no big deal."

"Sorry Finn," Blaine murmured, as the furious boy stormed out of the room. He returned quickly and thrust a brush and pan into Blaine's hands.

"Clean it up." He snapped. Blaine quickly started to do so, shaking his head at Santana when she looked like she was going to defend him. He didn't need her picking fights for him in her already delicate state.

Santana sighed and pulled the plug in the sink.

"We're done in here anyway. You guys want to watch a movie?" She asked. Quinn finished drying her last plate and handed it to Puck, thinking how nice it would be to cuddle, even though she still didn't want to let herself trust Puck, she could only think about how nice it would be to be held. After Brittany's death she was just feeling a need to be closer to everyone.

"Let's do it." She agreed.

So they watched as Rachel and Finn wiped down the benches and Blaine dumped the last of the shattered china into the bin. Then they started making their way through to the kitchen.

Puck lifted Artie and started to carry him through, before he realised that Artie's cheeks were very red.

"Woah dude you're blushing hard out." Puck exclaimed.

"No I'm not." Artie just looked more embarrassed.

"Uh, Yeah you are." Santana said as Puck lowered Artie into another chair in the dining room so that they could talk to him. "You look like you're trying not to cry."

"Can you all just _fuck off_ and watch your movie?" Artie's voice was oddly soft and full of supressed anger.

"Woah dude we're just trying to help." Finn said. Rachel elbowed him in the side.

"Finn you're in no position to tell people off for getting mad," They could hear her whispering as she dragged Finn from the room.

"Go with them. Don't leave them alone." Artie ordered. He just wished Puck would leave before he started crying. He hated looking so weak in front of him. Because he could see the pity in Puck's eyes as he carried him and there was _nothing_ he hated more than pity.

Blaine, Quinn, Puck and Santana stayed right where they were.

"Leave!" Artie snapped. He was strongly reminded of the day Tina had tried to help him walk with crutches and he'd just fallen over; a failure.

"Leave me alone." Artie growled again, clenching his teeth and trying not to blink and make the tears clouding his eyes spill over.

"Santana, take Puck out of here." Quinn said. She thought this might be something to do with Artie's wheelchair. In which case, she knew she'd understand him enough to be of comfort. And Blaine was one of Artie's good friends, who was broken enough that Artie wouldn't feel pathetic next to him. She hoped she'd judged the situation well as Santana took Puck firmly by the arm and dragged him out of the room. Their tough love probably wouldn't help right now. And she knew Artie preferred to look strong in front of Puck.

"Artie," Quinn said gently as he buried his face in his hands, unable to keep from crying any longer.

"Please go away." Artie sniffled, but he felt Quinn slip an arm around his shoulders and Blaine's hand gently bring his hands down from his eyes.

"We aren't leaving you alone." Blaine whispered, looking at Quinn for help. She was watching Artie with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Artie, tell us what's wrong and we'll help you." Quinn murmured.

"Oh you'll help me." Artie let out a bitter laugh, managed to dab away at his tears and look strong for a small moment before dissolving into despair with his next words. "No one can help me, Quinn. Not you two, not Puck, not our fearless leading couple, and not Santana,"

Blaine opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but Artie didn't leave enough of a pause for him to start.

"I'm stuck! Don't you get it? I'm trapped completely!" He snarled. "I can't even help you guys with the fucking chores, how can I help if one of you is dying in front of me? There's nothing I can do to save you! And every time I think I've uncovered the killer something happens to make me less certain. And meanwhile I have to just _sit here._ I have to watch Puck pace up and down and never settle and all I want to the leap up and pace with him and I have to sit a fidget. Then you do all this hard work and there's _nothing_ I can do to help! I just watch from a chair as you do the dishes. I dry all of mine far too slowly and have to wait to be handed the stuff I have to dry because there's no way I can get it myself."

"Artie we don't mind that. It's not your fault." Blaine said.

"It is! Everything's my fault." Artie looked like he was bracing himself for a slap as he said his next words. "It's my fault Britt died."

"No it isn't, don't blame yourself!" Quinn exclaimed at the exact moment that Blaine said "I'm sure you didn't do anything!"

"That's just the problem." Artie directed the comment at Blaine. "I _didn't_ do anything. I _couldn't._"

"What are you-?"

"I heard her get up." The words tumbled out. "I stayed awake during her chatter. Even though everyone else fell asleep sometime around her explanation of Tigger and Pooh's friendship I was still awake and listening. And then she suddenly trailed off and I heard shuffling noises in her bed. I- I thought she was just realising people were asleep and getting ready to sleep too. Then it sounded almost like she stood up. I thought I should check, but I couldn't easily sit up at the right angle to see her bed and make sure she was still in it. I could have turned over and pushed myself up so I could see over the top of Puck and turned around but I was tired and I just assumed she was fine. I assumed she was fine and she _died._ Because of _me._"

"Artie," Blaine hummed, squeezing him in a tight hug.

"That doesn't not mean it's your fault silly." Quinn ruffled his hair slightly. "_Anyone_ else might have done the same. How were you supposed to know she would sneak off?"

"I could have just called out and asked if she was awake. I could have kept her talking and staying in bed." Artie groaned. "It _is _my fault guys."

"No it isn't. Stop that. It's not something you could control. You thought she was sleeping. Any one of us has contributed to each death in numerous small ways. But mostly, this is the killer's fault. Not the fault of any of the rest of us. So _don't_ blame yourself Artie." Quinn said.

"I just wish I wasn't so goddam useless." Artie's face crumpled only slightly as he tried very hard not to renew his crying.

"You aren't." Blaine assured him. "You've helped us in so many ways with your smarts, Artie. You're literally the smartest one here and I'm sure some of your ideas have saved lives.

Artie didn't think it sounded like enough. He wanted to be alone. He forced a smile and nodded.

"Thanks guys," He said. "I'm sorry I made you stay with me. Go watch your movie."

"You have to come too." Quinn said.

"My chair's still wet from the rain." Artie nodded to the wheelchair that stood in its small puddle by the door.

"We can just carry-" Quinn started.

"No!" Artie snapped. Then he looked ashamed. "Sorry Quinn. I mean I don't want more help. Can you just hand me some towels and I'll dry it off as best I can?"

"Can you manage without-"

"I don't need help, Blaine." Artie didn't let him finish, he just glared at Quinn until she sighed and popped into the laundry next door. She got two dry towels and brought them back.

Blaine had shifted Artie's wooden chair closer to the wheelchair and Artie grabbed the towels and started dabbing determinedly at the seat.

"Go on, piss off." Artie nodded toward the door. "You've helped me enough, okay? Love you guys."

They both smiled softly at him and started for the door.

"Wait, we should probably not leave you alone." Blaine suddenly remembered.

"It'll be fine, as long as everyone's in there with you guys." Artie told him. "Go on I'm fine."

So Quinn and Blaine left Artie alone. And he cried fresh tears because he just couldn't make himself believe them. He couldn't make himself believe that Brittany's death hadn't been because of him. He couldn't make himself believe that was anything more than worthless.

But he wanted more than anything to prove he could help them.

He didn't realise he had nothing to prove. He'd already proved himself time and time again.

…

The rest of the Glee Club had been thumbing through the rows of old videos. They realised quickly that _all_ of them had been destroyed, leaving _Sleeping Beauty_ as the only one intact. It must have been a part of the killer's plan to drive the knife deeper. He or she had wanted them to watch Sleeping Beauty that day.

Rachel held the one safe video in her hand and sighed. She glanced at the door to the dining room, where Blaine and Quinn were still talking to Artie, and then threw _Sleeping Beauty_ back on the shelf.

"Well we have nothing to watch." She huffed.

"I think I'll read Quinn's book." Puck said. He'd been very interested by her facial expressions whenever she read it and she was driving him crazy in general. He loved the idea of having that connection with her.

"You? Reading?" Finn asked, incredulous. "Like, for fun?"

Puck just rolled his eyes and went over to Quinn's bed where the book was tucked under her pillow. He settled down to read, unaware that everyone was still staring after him, open-mouthed.

It was Santana who finally broke the silence.

"Rach can I use your hideous pink hairdryer please." She was fingering her hair that felt strange from the mix of pond water and rain.

Rachel went to rummage in her bag and Finn sighed and started looking for his ipod. He wanted something keep him occupied.

While they were still searching, Quinn and Blaine returned. Puck glanced up and raised an eyebrow at Quinn. "Where's Artie?"

"He's drying his chair." She moved away from the door and lowered her voice. "He's very upset and was desperate to do something for himself."

"And please don't mention it." Blaine added. "He really doesn't want to seem weak."

"What? Are you kidding? Artie's been one of the strongest out here. He's managed to stay emotionally steady and willing to help almost constantly." Finn said.

"Yeah well he misses everyone and now we've lost Britt Britt." Santana snapped. "There's only so much a person can handle before they break down. You leave him alone."

"I'm not gonna do anything." Finn raised his hands defensively.

Santana huffed and looked as if she was going to argue, so Rachel quickly held out her hair dryer.

"Here it is Santana. Just go do your hair okay?" She asked. Santana snatched it out of her hands and stalked off to the bathroom with her nose in the air.

As soon as Santana was gone Finn turned and folded him arms grumpily.

"I can't find my ipod." He said.

Quinn rolled her eyes and walked over to ask Puck what he was doing. She wasn't in the mood to put up with Finn's shit.

"Well have you used it since we all moved into this room?" Rachel asked.

"No."

"Then it'll be in your old bedroom. Go check." She didn't watch as he left the room, instead she turned to see that Blaine was smiling slightly in Quinn and Puck's direction.

Quinn was rolling her eyes and trying to hold back her laughter as Puck looked earnestly up at her, talking a mile a minute.

"… no really I find reading interesting!" Puck was trying to convince her.

"Sure you aren't just doing this to get closer to me?" Quinn asked with a smirk. She saw right through his fake-offended gasp.

"No! I read the blurb and I thought it sounded interesting. It's about prostitutes anyway. My kind of story!" He waved the book and Blaine and Rachel exchanged a confused look.

"It's not that sort of book you egghead." Quinn sighed, unable to keep from laughing this time.

"Let's not start the whole 'egghead' thing again." Puck grinned. "And it _is_ about a prostitute."

"Sex isn't the point of the book. The point is that she gets out of that trade and finds real love." Quinn said a little more seriously.

"Well then it _does_ sound like my kind of book." Puck reached up and brushed her hair back. "I need some tips on true love."

Blaine and Rachel's eyes widened. Quinn even seemed as if she was going to lean into Puck's touch. But as her eyes started closing she realised her mistake and stood quickly.

"Okay fine. I was going to read Tina's book when she was done anyway. I guess now…" She trailed off. All thought of Tina removed any smiles from her face. "I'm going to go and find it. It'll be in her bag."

She pulled away and Rachel and Blain quickly pretended they hadn't been eavesdropping as she walked past and down the hall towards Tina's old room. Puck sighed and kept reading the book.

Blaine and Rachel smiled at each other.

"I hope Quinn gives in soon." Rachel said. "I always thought her and Puck were meant to be."

Blaine shrugged. "They do fit very well together."

"So we should probably do something." Rachel sighed.

"Actually I was just thinking that we haven't done any laundry yet. I should gather the dirty clothes for a wash." Blaine said, nodding to the plastic bags in the corner where everyone had shoved their clothes when they got dirty.

"Okay let's put a load in the washing machine." Rachel agreed.

Blaine took one bag and Rachel carried the other in after him. They tipped the clothes into the washing machine and had enough for another half load in the other machine.

"I'll go and check if anyone has other things that need washing." Rachel said.

"Yeah I'll start the first lot while we wait." Blaine said.

He realised that some things would actually need hand washing. And some things might have stains so that he'd have to soak them separately. He rummaged through and removed a few items before he set the washing machine to start. He filled the sink and began to clean everything else by hand.

…

Ten minutes later Rachel returned as Blaine was finishing the second last thing he had to hand wash.

"Where have you been?" He asked.

"Sorry, took me a while. I went to search through my whole bag and I found a few things. Most of the other's clothes were already in the bags, but here's some extra stuff." She dumped the other clothes in the other washing machine and then turned it on, handing Blaine three more things to hand wash.

"Thanks for washing them Blaine." Rachel smiled at him, and then suddenly turned pale.

"W-What are those?" She asked.

"What?" Blaine said, the picture of confusion.

"Those," Rachel pointed at Blaine's rolled up sleeves, where there were strange patches of-

"Oh that's blood." Blaine said, sounded surprised. "It must have been from these."

He gestured to a bucket on his left. Inside were a few items of clothing that Blaine now lifted from the icy water for Rachel to inspect. They had bloodstains here and there that Blaine had scrubbed at for a while before leaving them to soak.

"Well should we go and gather everyone again. I was just thinking we should probably not have spread out." Rachel said. "It took me a while to find Finn and I freaked me out a little."

"Dammit you're right." Blaine yanked out the shirt he was washing and examined it before pinning it up to dry with the rest he'd finished. "Let's go."

They opened the door and found that Quinn had re-joined Puck and they lay side by side reading. Although Quinn seemed to be spending more time watching Puck read than actually reading.

"Stay here, k? I'll go and find everyone." Rachel said to Blaine.

Quinn and Puck both looked startled, but Blaine quickly went to sit beside them and explained. They nodded their agreement to getting everyone back together.

"Hold up, I'll ask Artie if he's done." Puck said as they distantly heard Rachel calling out to Finn, and then Santana.

Puck heaved himself up and turned the handle just as Rachel, Finn and Santana entered behind him.

…

As soon as Artie had been left alone he'd started dabbing at the chair, feeling fresh tears of frustration spilling over. He could just feel the stress getting to him. He could feel his heart breaking. So he just pushed faster and crazier at his chair, trying to work through the pain. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair that he couldn't help anyone!

Artie gave up on trying to dry the chair for a moment and sat back in his seat.

He was so filled with pain he almost didn't hear Rachel's quiet knock on the door. But as soon as he noticed the handle turning he ripped off his glasses and dabbed his eyes dry. He shoved them, lopsided, back onto his face in time to look her in the eye.

"Hi, Artie," Rachel smiled warmly at him and he knew she was trying to make him feel reassured. "I was just wondering if you have any clothes that need washing."

"They're all in the dirty clothes bags." Artie told her.

Rachel nodded and hovered for a moment before leaving. Artie sighed and shook his head. Was that really the only excuse they could think of to check on him? He wished they didn't even feel the need to check on him at all. He could just imagine them all sitting out there worrying about him. At least they were safe as long as they all stayed together.

Artie's hand closed into a fist over the towel in his hand. He was determined to help. He would work out who the killer was. So as he scrubbed at the chair to remove all the water, Artie thought.

He reconsidered every clue he'd ever looked at. He thought about the gruesome bloody deaths; from Joe's hands nailed into the ground to Mr Schue flung from his window with a knife in his back. He thought about the quiet and surprising ones; like Mike drowning because he drank from the wrong bottle of water. And lastly he thought about the poisons; from the apple Tina had eaten to the syringe they found beside Kurt.

And as Artie thought, something started to click into place. He replayed a few moments in his head. His hands stilled as he thought harder. He remembered everyone who had ever been associated with each death. His head snapped up.

"Oh my god." Artie gasped. "I know who did it."

But before he could call out his head snapped backwards with a startling force as a piece of cloth was rammed over his mouth.

Artie's eyes went wide, and his hands flailed out to try and hammer against something. He tried to talk through the gag. But his hands were tied down just as quickly and the gag was reinforced with three more layers. And suddenly he was staring into the face of the killer.

_It is you. _Artie could only think the words.

His heart was beating a mile a minute as the killer pulled up their own chair and took out a knife.

"Now Artie," They said with a smirk. "I think you deserve an explanation."

The killer ran the knife up and down their nails as they spoke. They told Artie their secret. And then they leaned forward and grinned.

"So now you know what will happen to your friends; how I will break their hearts. I hope you die knowing the agony of this truth. Maybe you would have preferred if _I_ had died too, and been innocent. That would hurt less, wouldn't it? Let's think of a world where everyone would simply die. Let's imagine a world of noble friends. Let's imagine a stranger killing them all. Let's make this a noble quest. Come let me tell you a story." The killer smiled at Artie furious frown. "Imagine the beautiful face of Quinn Fabray as the light leaves it, full of despair and shattered trust. Imagine Noah Puckerman's weak, helpless cries as the killer rams him through with the same knife used to kill you. Imagine Santana Lopez fighting her hardest, and sobbing brokenly when she knows she loved everyone so much after all. She'd be too upset to fight properly. Imagine Finn Hudson screaming like a little girl and lacking the courage to do anything. Imagine Rachel Berry begging and pleading as the killer deals with her slowly and painfully. And imagine Blaine Anderson and how the killer would tear his heart to little pieces as-"

Artie could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He wanted to fight back. With a swift jerk he managed to bring his head down suddenly to collide with the head in front of him, hoping to make the killer cry out. Instead when their skulls smacked together, it only made the killer angry and left Artie slightly dazed with pain.

"These are the friends you could choose to remember. You could remember them dying deaths where they never lose love. Oh but you can't believe that anymore. You know who the killer is. You know it's me. So imagine those deaths again. But this time, imagine how much worse it will be as they realise it is me who killed them." The killer seemed to savour this thought. Then they turned back to Artie. "And now you will have to die, broken-hearted as well, because you understand this truth. Are you not a man of truth Artie?"

Artie met the killer's gaze stubbornly. He was not going to cry. He was determined not to cry. When the knife plunged into his throat and slit as deeply as it could go, Artie's eyes were completely dry.

…

Puck let out a strangled cry at the sight of the room where Artie lay, slumped forward on the ground in his own pool of blood, almost right where Brittany had died the night before.

He flung the door open and he strode inside, falling to his knees and trying to prop Artie up again.

"Hey man, are you okay?" He whimpered. He could hear the club racing to his side, and the gasps and sobs that issued from them at the sight they were met with.

"Artie?" Puck murmured, shaking Artie slightly. "You can't be dead you- you-"

He let Artie fall back on his chair. The look of determination was still on his bloodless face. It made Puck want to sob.

Santana was hyperventilating, and Blaine crumpled into her arms. Quinn forgot everything and merely dropped to her knees beside Puck, holding him and sobbing in the Mohawk as he sobbed into her lap.

Finn and Rachel were clutching each other by the door.

"This is all my fault." Rachel moaned. "I'm so sorry Artie."

His lifeless eyes held no comfort for her, no acceptance of her apology.

"It's not your fault." Finn responded.

"It is!" Rachel's whole face was screwed up with her sobs. "I gave Santana the hairdryer and told her to get out of there and I told you to go find your ipod and I sp-split everyone up and now Artie _died_ because of _me_."

"I'm so fucking sick of everyone blaming themselves for things!" Santana spat. Her hands tightened painfully around Blaine's shaking shoulders, but she didn't seem to notice as he winced and pulled back a little.

"I agree with Santana." Quinn said, gulping. "Artie blamed himself for Brittany's death and I hope more than anything he got over that before he…"

She looked back at him and quickly averted her eyes.

"Let's just clean him up quickly." Blaine asked. "Please."

So they went and collected more sheets and wrapped Artie up.

"Please can we wheel him through?" Quinn said suddenly, just as Puck started to pick him up.

"Why?" Puck asked.

"Because he would seem more independent that way. Artie didn't want to be carried. He wanted to try and do something for himself. And now he's gone and I just- I just want to respect that wish." Quinn explained.

No one questioned her. They set Artie in his chair, though it was still damp, and wheeled it into the room to leave Artie sitting at Brittany's bedside.

"Bye Artie." Blaine whispered in a choked voice. They all echoed him and the door was shut on their friend.

The six of them stood in the Hallway. The silence echoed as it occurred to them that there were only six left.

"Six of us." Santana breathed eyes huge. "Six of us left."

The unspoken words hung between them.

"_Six of us left, and one of us must be the killer."_

* * *

Wow, we're getting close to revealing the killer actually. Please continue to review. You make me so happy whenever you do!


	28. Heaven

We have guesses for Rachel, who seems to be the top suspect. But Blaine and Quinn are to far behind. And both Brittany and Kurt are suspected by some people still.

We are sooo close to the reveal now.

* * *

"_Once upon a time there was a young man who was left his inheritance. He hoped for something great, but it was only a cat. He was unhappy with this lot, thinking that it was unfair. But the cat ended up being more helpful to him than he had ever dreamed. It asked for very little. Only one pair of boots and a sack. It therefore was known as Puss in Boots. And though the owner didn't do much for Puss in Boots, the cat helped him greatly in return._

_With so much help from Puss in Boots, the man thrived. Puss was willing to help with anything, and tried very hard to do so. But one day, the job Puss had to help with was too much for him. He entered the territory of a giant. And he tried to outsmart the giant and win._

_But Puss in Boots failed, and he was crushed._

_The End."_

Quinn finished reading and threw the note down on the table.

"I hate these bloody metaphors!" Finn said.

They six nodded. It did hit a little too close to home. The fairytales were pretty accurate. And this one just reminded them of how they had _never_ appreciated Artie enough.

Artie had also been the only one on the island who had managed to keep a track of everything happening around him. He was the one who had actually seemed to come close to knowing who the killer might me. The question still lingered as to whether Artie had worked out anything more before he died.

Rachel grabbed Finn's hand and squeezed gently.

"The killer's good at creating dramatic effect. I'll give them that." Rachel said. Her voice was overly bright and it was obvious that she was trying to be reassuring.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at her.

"But everything's going to be okay now." Rachel amended, realising it sounded as if she were complimenting the killer. "Because we only have _one more night_ on this island. We're being picked up lunchtime tomorrow!"

"Wait it's the seventh night already?" Finn asked. The wide eyed teenagers around him looked just as startled by this news. No one had been counting the days in a while.

"Oh my god it is!" Santana gasped.

"We can actually do this." Puck sounded stunned. "We _can_ survive this."

"We're actually going to live." Blaine said. He looked slightly hopeful for the first time since Kurt's death. "It won't be hard. We just have to follow Artie's rules."

"Exactly!" Rachel said. She looked very pleased that her optimism was catching on. "We'll stick together and never let anyone go anywhere alone. It'll be perfect."

"Perfect's a strong word," Santana rolled her eyes. "But this should definitely work."

"We should add more rules, be safer. I think at night, we should tie ourselves together. Like everyone should tie a ribbon round their wrist and we'll connect up. What do you think?" Quinn asked. She figured night time was the most dangerous, and with Artie gone she was trying to think of ways to stay safe.

"Let's do it, Quinn." Puck agreed.

There was a short silence, each of them considering the fact that they might actually be able to survive this. There was a smile on every face. But then Blaine drooped.

"Why do I feel like this all seems too good to be true?" He glanced at Finn out of the corner of his eye and realised that the boy was smirking at him. Finn obviously still thought Blaine was the killer. Finn thought they'd stopped Blaine at last.

Everyone looked uncomfortable. Santana bit her lip and looked between them. She felt awful about it, but she knew Blaine was right. Things just couldn't be that easy. She almost wanted to talk to Blaine alone. But there was no way she could because no two people could be left alone together.

"It's five o'clock." Quinn said to break the suddenly tense atmosphere. "Should we have an early dinner?"

"Let's just eat more sandwiches. I can't be bothered cooking." Puck asked.

Everyone quickly set about making their food and then banded together in the Main Hall to eat on the comfortable sofas. As they ate they shared a few memories of Artie. Quinn and Blaine both cried again, but tried to hold it back.

"It's so cold in here." Santana said to cause a distraction from the aching memory of Artie directing the school show.

"Yeah ever since it rained earlier the sky's been totally cloudy." Rachel agreed, staring out of the window on the other side of the room. "I think it'll probably rain again tonight."

"Well cold weather is snuggle weather. Maybe we'll be even safer tonight because of it." Puck said, eyeing Quinn, who blushed.

"I feel like there's a draught coming in from somewhere." Santana said. "There's a breeze behind me.

Rachel turned toward the wall where the doors to the laundry and kitchen were. She noticed the open laundry door was swaying slightly. So she stood and walked over, peering inside.

"Why's the window open?" She asked.

Blaine dropped the sandwich he'd been raising to his mouth and coughed as he choked on the bit he was swallowing.

"Sorry," He coughed. "Just – oh hold on - "

Santana thumped him on the back and he waved her off.

"Sorry," He apologised again. "I opened it to dry out all the clothes. I didn't think about how cold it'd get."

"Oh," Rachel looked a little concerned, but she went in and shut it. Blaine was very aware of Finn staring at him, so he tried looking anywhere else.

Rachel sat back down just as Blaine found a distraction from the hatred radiating off his old friend.

"Do we want to light the fire in the fireplace?" he asked. "We haven't needed to because the weather was so good but it'd be nice to get warmer now."

"We'd have to collect wood." Santana reminded him.

"I'm not going outside." Quinn said just as Puck said, "I'm never touching another axe."

"We don't have to chop it. We'll collect some sticks." Blaine said.

"Nah I don't want to go. It's too cold out." Puck said.

"Me neither." Finn agreed.

Santana rolled her eyes.

"Okay freeze inside then. Me and Blaine are going to get firewood." She said, standing. She'd secretly hoped this might happen. She needed to talk to Blaine.

"You guys can't go out alone!" Quinn said.

"Well is anyone else willing to come?" Santana asked.

The four of them shook their heads and she sighed.

"Okay fine. Watch us from the window then. We'll stay on the grass outside and we won't go out of sight. That way you can tell we aren't killing each other." She tugged Blaine to his feet.

There was no more argument. Blaine and Santana went and put on more layers of clothing to brave the wind they could see whistling through the trees. The four that were left behind moved some chairs up to the window so they could sit comfortably. Within a minute Santana and Blaine appeared on the lawn and began to walk slowly around, collecting bits of wood.

"You realise how hard things are going to be now that Artie's gone. " Puck said. "We aren't going to be able to work out who did it without him."

"I've been thinking about that. " Quinn said, "And if we do get picked up tomorrow we'll have to give the case to the police. And will they be able to work everything out? What if the killer stops now and we _never _find out who it is? Or if the police accuse the wrong person."

"The police will sort everything out." Rachel said, as if it were obvious.

"Not necessarily." Finn said, scratching the back of his neck in discomfort.

"Well we can't worry about after. We won't know anything until it happens. We should just stay positive." Rachel insisted. Though everyone looked uncomfortable, as if they knew they had to face this problem sometime, they were silent.

"You know, me and Artie had this theory." Puck said after a while, "That Kurt knew who the killer was."

"What? How?" Finn asked. He was staring at Blaine through narrowed eyes again.

"Think about it, Finn. The killer writes a note directly to him. Kurt was alone a few times. He might have seen something. And he was _so scared_. I definitely think he knew something." Puck explained.

"This makes even more sense! If he saw Blaine doing something and because he loves him he-"

"Finn, don't!" Quinn snapped. Finn fell silent, but it was plain that his mind was whirling.

"Why won't you just give up on this idea? We know for sure it can't be Blaine. Would he ever kill Kurt?" Puck asked.

"You're all going to think I'm crazy, and Finn this is no reason for you to openly hate on Blaine, but I think you might be right." Rachel said warily.

Just as she had expected, Quinn and Puck immediately told her she was crazy.

"No please hear me out. It's just that when we were washing the clothes, after I left him alone I came back to see he had blood on his sleeves. He told me it was from washing out bloodstains and maybe it was but it just seems really suspicious. And now I find out that the window was open. And Blaine seemed pretty shocked about that. What if he intended to close it? And he's worried about evidence leading to him." Rachel looked earnestly around the room. "I don't want to believe it's him. But it fits."

"Rachel that's silly." Puck had an unreadable expression on his face. "Blaine would never kill Kurt. Besides, any one of us is worried they'll be accused, whether they're the murderer or not. He's just concerned. And he explained the bloodstains to you."

"What Puck said." Quinn agreed. "We can never know for sure. And I'm not discussing this anymore."

She continued to stare determinedly out the window and they kept talking around her.

"Look it might not be Blaine, I'll give you that. We still need to be careful." Rachel told Puck.

"Oh it's Blaine alright." Finn curled an arm protectively around Rachel, looking very proud of her.

Puck sat in stony silence. He wanted to talk to Quinn alone, and explain to her that he and Artie had thought it was Finn. The look on Finn's face right now made the distrust stronger. But now Rachel _had_ confused him a little. What if it was Blaine?

But what if it was Finn and he was fooling Puck?

…

"Blaine I did hope I might get to talk to you." Santana said as she selected her first stick.

"What about?" Blaine asked.

"What do you think will happen tomorrow?" Santana asked. "When we get picked up. It seems too good to be true. Do you really think the killer will stop?"

Blaine glanced at her and saw the concern on her face. He sighed, looking up at the window. He wasn't sure if he should tell her what he thought, and especially wasn't sure if she should know how he felt.

"I have a feeling things aren't really over. I mean, if the killer wants us to die, they'll have a plan. And who says we'll be able to stop anything." He paused. "I'm sorry. It's really pessimistic of me."

"No that's okay. I know what you mean." Santana noticed that he was looking up at their friends in the window and she followed his gaze. They looked like two perfect couples. She felt like she would never be a part of a perfect couple again. At least she had Blaine to share the agony with. A best friend who understood her was something she'd never expected to have after Brittany was taken forever. Puck reached out as if he was going to touch Quinn and then drew back. She rolled her eyes, turning back to Blaine. "I feel the same way. I don't think we'll be able to stop the killer."

"But I'm not really worried. Do you understand that?" Blaine dropped his head and nudged a twig with his foot. "I don't mind if I die."

"Blaine!" Santana sounded angry.

"No you don't understand what I mean!" Blaine said quickly. "I just meant that I'm not _afraid_ to die anymore."

"What?" Santana still looked baffled.

"_Think_ about it." Blaine said. "I don't mean I want to die. I just mean if it did happen, I wouldn't be scared because I couldn't save myself. I would accept death if I had to die. And I especially don't want everyone to be too sad over me. I'd be fine."

"Blaine we'd miss you whether you didn't feel afraid or not, you're a dumbass if you think otherwise." Santana said. Then she noticed the disappointed look on his face and her tone became gentler. "But I do get it. I don't want anyone to get depressed over my death either. In a way I'm almost glad Britt didn't have to see me die. I would never want her to feel like this."

Blaine reached out and took her hand. She looked upset and he wanted to comfort her.

"I feel the same way. And now that K-Kurt's dead, if I died to, it would just mean I got to join him. We'd be together again."

"So you believe in heaven?" Santana asked, cocking her head to one side. Blaine blushed.

"Well I can't possibly imagine that someone like _Kurt_ could exist and have life just end at death. There must be something more for him. Someone so beautiful, inside and out, just has to have a heaven to go to." Blaine said softly. He seemed to be worried that Santana might laugh at him. Instead, she nodded.

"Brittany's the same. An angel, even when she was on earth," Santana handed her small pile of wood to Blaine and continued on around the field, passing him bits of wood as they went. "I just don't see there being a heaven for _me._"

"Is that why you're still afraid to die?" Blaine asked. "Because you're a wonderful person, Santana,"

"Thanks," She grimaced "Not everyone would say that."

"I would. I'd let you into heaven if it were up to me." Blaine said. That at least got a chuckle out of her.

"Well I doubt 'God' feels quite the same way." Santana winked at him.

"What, because we're gay?" Blaine snickered as well. "I doubt the real God would have any problem with that. And hey, maybe our resident angels will let us both up. Because I know I don't deserve heaven. Not because of the gay thing. I just don't."

"I think you do." She paused. "And thanks, but that's not really why I'm scared to die."

"Why then?" Blaine asked.

"This sounds so stupid." Santana wouldn't meet his eye. "But I don't want it to hurt. And I'm – I'm scared of finding out who it is."

"That's not stupid." Blaine felt a pang as he remembered comforting Kurt with similar words multiple times, and having Kurt reassure him in the same way. "I guess I'm not really worried about how I die, because I know I'll be at peace with the actual act of dying."

"I wish I could be the same." Santana yanked a few more sticks free.

"I was scared as well." Blaine reminded her. "For so long. But now whatever happens, I think I can be happy."

"I'll miss you though. If you die I'll miss you like mad." Santana promised him.

"I'll miss you too." Blaine took one more piece of wood and then jerked his head towards the house. "I think we're done here."

"Yeah this should be enough." Santana shifted the wood in her arms. They started to walk back up to the house, looking up at the window to wave at their friends so that they knew and didn't worry when they went out of sight. Just before they reached the top of the path before the door to the house, Blaine stopped.

"Santana I think I'm ready." Blaine said abruptly.

"For what?" She asked. "And keep walking. They'll be worried if we aren't inside in time."

"I'm ready to go and cover Kurt's body." He said, starting toward the house again. "You know how we forgot the day he died."

"I'll go with you." Santana said.

As Blaine opened the door with an elbow, awkwardly shifting the wood in his arms, he smiled gratefully at her.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

…

"Just dump it here. Finn and I'll start the fire." Puck said. Santana and Blaine left their armfuls of firewood on the floor by the fireplace, and Puck and Finn set to work. They looked pleased to have something to do.

Quinn and Rachel were still sitting by the window wrapped in blankets.

"Everything go okay?" Quinn asked. Santana shot her a thumbs up, but turned back to Blaine.

"We should get her duvet. The blue, do you think? The pretty one," She said. "He'd like that."

"Definitely. It will match his pyjamas." Blaine went over to the small folded bundle in the corner, from where they'd set Kurt's things aside after his death.

"What are you guys doing?" Rachel asked.

"We're covering Kurt's body, saying goodbye." Blaine explained. Rachel and Quinn exchanged a glance.

"You can't go in alone." Rachel said.

"Well come with us then."

"I don't want to see him." Quinn said, looking pale. Rachel nodded her agreement.

"Blaine, are you sure you can handle seeing him?" She asked. She could remember each time they'd mentioned Kurt. She could remember the shattered plates and the vomit in the sink. She knew how damaged he was.

"Yes," He looked confident. "And we can go by ourselves, you don't need to come. You know it's us two alone, so if either of us were the killer we'd be stupid to kill each other."

"True," Quinn said. "But even so, ask Puck and Finn to go."

"I'm not looking at my little brother like that!" Finn objected.

"Neither," Puck shook his head and struck a match. "You guys do it. And don't murder each other."

"We won't." Santana said in a sing-song voice.

"Well don't be longer than five minutes!" Rachel called shrilly as they disappeared down the corridor.

…

Blaine took a deep breath before he opened the door.

Kurt was lying on the bed still, tilted slightly to the side after Blaine's frantic scramble when he had tried to revive him. Santana took one glance and then tore her gaze away. She stared at the floor, but stepped forward with Blaine.

He was watching Kurt, his face full of tenderness.

"He looks peaceful." Blaine said softly. He glanced down at the syringe, and then decided to leave it there in case there were any prints the police might need later.

"Blaine I-" Santana could feel tears building.

"Shh, it's okay." He heard the sadness in her voice. "Just look at him."

Blaine gently unfurled the blanket and shook it loose. He laid it over Kurt's body very gently.

"Santana, you can look. He isn't here anymore. It's just his body. There's no need to be afraid. And he looks so peaceful. He looks so…" Blaine trailed off when he heard a quiet sniffle from behind him.

Blaine turned around to see Santana press the heel of her hand to her mouth. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and a few tears leaked out under her eyelashes.

"Hey," Blaine immediately approached her, taking her hands and softly pulling them away from her face. "What's wrong?"

"I care bare it. I don't want to see his body if he- I don't want to." She sniffled, searching his face or signs of pain. Though he did have the same deep depression in his eyes that had hovered there, growing with every death, he didn't look terrified like everyone else. So she breathed deeply again and stepped forward toward the bed.

Blaine was right. Kurt was still, silent and peaceful. He didn't look scared. He looked free.

She felt more tears fall, and brushed them away quickly.

"God I miss him." Santana confessed. "I never thought I would but-"

She shook her head and heard Blaine snuffle beside her. Now he was crying too.

"I miss him as well." He agreed. "I expected that though."

Santana knew they were just depressing themselves more now, so she took Blaine's hand and led him from the room. As they shut the door she realised that, though seeing Kurt's empty body had hurt, she understood Blaine now. She got why he wasn't scared to die.

And as she examined her own feelings she thought she wasn't scared either. Not anymore. And Blaine might just be one of her best friends.

They understood each other.

So as Blaine started breaking down, she held back her own tears and squeezed his hand.

"What's up now? I thought you felt better." She asked.

"I do," Blaine opened the door to the Main Hall and found that everyone was gathering around the fire. "But I still want him desperately. And thought death isn't really a horror in my mind anymore, I can't help but want him here with me. Alive."

"Hi guys." Finn's happiness sounded forced. He knew they were talking about Kurt. "How was Kurt?"

"Stunning as ever," Blaine said matter-of-factly.

"Come, we saved you seats!" Quinn gestured to two armchairs they'd pulled up by the fireplace.

Blaine curled up in the armchair between Quinn and Rachel, and Santana took the one closer to the fire, beside Puck.

They talked for a long time. They decided that they would go down to the shore an hour early the next day. They wanted to be there at ten thirty so they could see the boat come in at eleven thirty. So by the time nine thirty rolled round they realised they should probably be getting to bed.

It didn't take long to shift things around, so now they slept in the shape of a five pointed star, with all their heads in the centre. They showered and brushed their teeth before returning to the hall again. And true to her word, Quinn tore off a long strip of fabric from one of the spare sheets and tied it around each wrist so that they were all inter-connected.

They fell asleep about half an hour later.

…

And Santana woke three hours later with a very full bladder.

Looking around, she could hear the almost silent mumbling of Blaine and the light snores coming from both Puck and, oddly, Rachel.

She sat up slowly, making sure she didn't tug on the cord tying her to Quinn, or the other that was attached to Rachel. She really needed to pee. But everyone looked so peaceful, she didn't want to wake them.

Besides, Blaine was right, if the killer planned to kill her, there really wasn't much she could do. And Santana wasn't scared anymore.

So she carefully worked at the knots on each wrist and freed herself. Then she kicked her blankets aside and stood.

No one stirred. Smiling softly to herself, Santana walked off down the hallway. She wasn't in the toilet long. When she came out her head jerked up at the movement of her reflection, and then she laughed slightly at herself. As she washed her hands, she realised she was more relaxed than she'd been in a long time. She actually no longer cared if she met the killer. She almost wanted to. She wanted to attack them, and try to take them down. She felt fearless.

Shutting off the tap, she went and dried her hands before slipping silently out the door. As she padded softly down the hallway she heard a noise. Tilting her head, Santana froze and listened.

Someone was moving around in one of the bedrooms.

Her eyes narrowed and she slowly crept down the Hall. Though everything was in complete darkness because she'd turned off the hall light once she'd arrived in the bathroom, all she had to do was feel along the wall. Soon her fingers touched the wood of a door and she stopped, crouching down to press and ear to the keyhole like people did in movies. It didn't really help her hear much better, but she could hear enough to know there was no one in there.

Although it seemed like someone might be in the next room over.

"Oh," Santana breathed "You are so caught."

All she had to do was go back and see who was missing from the Main Hall. Carefully, she rocked back to her heels and stood smoothly. But though she tried to remain completely silent, she didn't count on the floorboard creaking.

As she winced, she realised the sounds from the next room had completely stopped.

And then suddenly the door flew open, and a shape moved out in the darkness. Without thinking, she launched herself forward and grabbed onto the first bit of fabric she touched. There was no sound from the other person, but she found herself falling with them, her leg becoming tangled with theirs.

She was running on pure adrenaline, desperate to trap them, and to come out on top.

Wildly, she reached out tried to grab hold of anything that might help her identify who this was. But her hand was caught at the wrist in a vicelike grip that made her cry out, and then her other hand was wrenched free of the handful of fabric she clutched.

Desperate, filled with sudden rage, Santana felt tears spring to her eyes. She was furious. She _needed_ to know who this was. This might be her chance to avenge Brittany; to stop anyone else from dying.

This could be her moment.

So she bent her leg in tightly, trapping the other person's knee in the crook of her own. They still held both her wrists in their hands, but for the first time they made a noise. Unfortunately, it was just a high pitched whimper that could have come from any one of her friends.

They both struggled for a moment. Santana could tell that the other person's leg must be twisted at a very odd angle. She pressed harder, feeling a vindictive pleasure as they gasped again. The sound was still impossible to place, and she was frustrated.

She knew that she would have to do something. They couldn't struggle forever. Maybe she should give a sudden jerk, get free, and run for the Main Hall.

Just as Santana paused her struggling to gather her strength for a final heave, the killer let go, and her huge pull backward made her smack her head on the floor and cry out. Then, even worse, there was a ripping agony in her leg as something was rammed into her flesh. Santana screamed and then clenched her teeth. She wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of hearing her pain.

But the pain was so bad she felt tears leaking out. The deep wrenching pain continued up her leg, from the ankle to the knee, traced by the blade of a cold knife.

And then, as her leg went limp, she felt the other person pull away and then heard their footsteps echo down the hallway. But she couldn't move. She could only drag her leg near to herself and sob as she pressed her fingers to the wound she felt there. It was wet with blood and it throbbed with pain after each heartbeat.

She gave up her pride then and screamed.

"Help! Someone get the fuck in here! I _know _one of you's awake and you better fucking help me right now or I will _mess_ you up." Santana choked, as her fingers brushed along the edge of the open gash. "Please help me."

No one stirred, she realised that if the killer was the only one who heard her cries, there was no way they would help her.

Shakily, she stood. Even though stabbing pain shot up her leg with each movement, she managed to lean heavily on the wall and stagger toward the door. She was brave. She could do this.

As she pulled down on the handle, she stumbled and fell to the floor.

From where she lay she could see that each bed was lumpy, each containing a sleeping person. Each containing someone she loved. And one containing the person who had just stabbed her in the leg. She tried to stand, but failed again. So she cried out one more time.

"Guys please help me." A broken sob escaped her as she raised her voice. "Wake up!"

And finally she saw the mounds stir. They took a few moments to fully become aware of their surroundings. before Blaine managed to stand, half dragging Quinn and Puck out of bed as he dashed for the light. It flickered on.

Blood.

Santana stared hopelessly at her leg, with the blood leaking out on the floor. Her flesh was torn almost the whole way up.

Then her gaze moved up to the dazed glee club.

They were all staring at her, some sitting, some standing, and completely befuddled. She didn't know who she shouldn't trust. She didn't which look of surprise was completely false. And she had just failed Brittany. Again.

"Help,"

* * *

Please review! I'm really loving all the feedback. I know I sort of rule out Santana here but I hope you don't mind. It was just a big part of the story to have her leg slashed like that.


	29. Boat

Okay so I was wrong when I thought the killer would be revealed in the next chapter. The killer will now be revealed the chapter after the next one. Hope you enjoy this!

Sorry for the delay in updating. My computer died and I lost it all, so I had to rewrite the whole thing again.

* * *

Everyone swarmed her at once. They all asked the same questions in different words and all on top of one another. She couldn't understand a thing. But in the babbling confusion she guessed that they weren't really expecting any answer. It was mostly just confused hype to fill the silence and let them unload their shock.

A dozen hands fluttered around her leg until finally Puck scooped her up and carried her, with Blaine cradling the leg, across onto one of the armchairs. Santana almost didn't want to let go of Puck. His body was familiar and comforting. He was the one she'd always returned to. Their friendship was strange, but she knew they had some sort of bond.

But she let her arms slip loose of his shoulders as her leg stung. Her hands flew down and grasped a spot just below the knee, where she didn't touch the blood but quelled the need to cradle to wound.

"I'm so sorry!" Blaine squeaked. "I didn't mean to hurt y-"

Santana waved him off. The room feel silent, with Finn's "I don't even understand why you would…" being the last awkward words to sputter to a stop.

"What happened, San?" Quinn asked. Santana looked into her wide, thick lashed eyes and wondered if Quinn already knew the answer to that question.

She must have looked for too long, because Rachel asked another question before she could answer the first.

"How long were you even awake?" Did Rachel know the answer to this one? She looked scared. But then, Rachel had always been quite the little actress. And everyone knew she could cry on demand.

"You should have woken one of us." Puck was indignant. Santana's gaze turned to him. She almost laughed because she'd done just that. She'd woken the wrong one apparently, but she'd still woken one of them.

"We could have protected you." Finn said fiercely. Santana eyed him as well. She hated trying to work out when people were lying. There was so much passion in Finn's eyes. But did they glint because he could see the mess he'd made of her leg, and he was proud? Or because he was upset he hadn't helped her, and he was innocent?

It made her head spin.

"_Why_ did you go off alone?" Blaine asked.

And this time Santana answered, because she knew that Blaine already knew the answer. Though he looked scared of what it might be.

"I'm not afraid to die." Her chin titled proudly.

Blaine let out his breath in a rush, his eyes closing. He looked like he'd been afraid to hear those words, though he'd expected them.

"That's no reason to try and kill yourself!" Quinn exclaimed.

"I didn't try to kill myself okay?" Santana snapped.

There was a terse silence, and then Puck collapsed onto the sofa beside her with a sigh.

"Tell us what happened then because you're doing my head in." He snapped.

"Can we clean this up or…?" Santana gestured to her leg and suddenly Quinn looked guilty.

"I'll get the first aid stuff. _All_ of you stay here." She said.

Santana watched her walk away and then turned back to the rest of them.

"Well, can we hear what happened?" Rachel asked again.

"I just got out of bed and I decided not to wake anyone. So I went to pee and as I was returning there was this weird rustling, so I crept _carefully _towards the sound." She seemed defiant as she made it clear she was careful. "And then the killer burst out of the door in front of me. I knew it was my chance to fix everything and avenge Brittany and all our friends. But I blew it."

She gestured to her leg, "This is the result of our tussle. And I have no idea who it was. But I hate you."

She suddenly smiled faintly, looking into each face. Quinn returned in time to get her own stare. "Funny isn't it, how much we'll all hate you when we find out. I hope you're at least a little scared. Because when I find you, I will go all lima heights on your sorry ass."

There was a stunned silence, no one wanted to look Santana in the eyes.

"Right," Her tone was suddenly bright, "Quinn you ready to do this?"

Cleaning the wound was an excruciating and long process. The whole leg had to be bound tightly to prevent too much blood loss, something that was already a problem. When Santana tried to stand the lack of blood combined with the pain in her leg, made her flop over again. Her face was paler than they'd ever seen it.

"Oh wow," Santana shut her eyes a moment, reeling.

"Maybe we should all sleep over here with you on the sofa." Quinn suggested. "Also, I think I want to keep your leg elevated. Isn't that how you stop the blood circulating to it and being pumped _out_ of your body?"

She looked uncertain, but they went along with her plan. Blaine sat gently at the end of the sofa and Quinn carefully lifted Santana's knee onto his lap, resting the ankle on the armrest while Santana tried not to cry out at the pain of shifting.

The other kids gathered around with their blankets and pillows to keep warm because the fire was almost out and no one could be bothered going to add more wood and get it going again.

Santana explained the incident of the night one more time to Quinn, adding more detail. When she was finished she already felt her eyelids drooping. Finn's soft snores proved he had fallen asleep as well.

They drifted off like that, the club gathered around the base of the sofa, and Blaine sitting with Santana's injured leg on his lap.

…

In the morning, Rachel was the first awake, and she quickly shook the others into awareness.

"Look at that," She said, nodding to the floor in front of their little mound of blankets and people. "A note, I think."

Puck's eyes skimmed over everyone, counting, and the rest did the same. They were all there.

So Rachel clambered over Finn's legs and grabbed the note, unfolding it to read it aloud.

"_Hey Santana, I'd be a little more careful next time, k? It's really not _fun_ for me when I get tackled and have to fight back. I probably would have done less damage if you hadn't started trying to sneak around. Anyway, it's not your time to die. Just don't try and fight me, it was a stupid move. You'll never avenge Brittany so you may as well not try._

_xoxo, the killer."_

"You bastard," Santana hissed to the room at large as Rachel handed the note around for everyone to look at.

"Let's ignore this." Quinn seemed to be trying to keep the peace, taking the note just as Santana began to scan it, and crumpling it up. "We have to continue with our plan. What's the time?"

"Shit, it's already ten!" Finn said, checking his watch.

So they clambered up, Santana furious that she had to be carried to the kitchen, and began to get lunches ready. As they made them, Finn took advantage of a particularly loud discussion between Santana, Quinn and Blaine and tapped Puck's arm.

"You agree that it might be Blaine, right?" He hissed. Puck glanced over at the others, looking wary. Rachel had turned her attention to Finn and Puck with a slight incline of the head, but no one else noticed.

"I don't think it's him for sure." Puck said slowly.

"But what if it is Puck?" Finn asked. "I think we should turn him in to the Police. We'll make him our top suspect."

A niggling doubt hovered in the air. The comment seemed like something a killer might say. The Killer would certainly want to tell the authorities it was someone else. But Puck sighed, running his hands through his Mohawk before grabbing another bun and cutting it open to fill it up.

"Maybe," He said.

"Look, you know all the evidence is stacked against him." Finn said.

"Except for the fact that _Kurt_ died too. And anyway," Puck lowered his voice even further; Rachel had to strain to hear him. "Quinn trusts him. I can't just take that lightly."

"But Quinn was scared of you a bunch of times!" Finn was getting frustrated, and Rachel kicked him, worried Quinn might hear her name. "You can't make that your only source of information."

"It isn't." Puck protested "I just want to take her opinion into account here."

"What opinion? She's never going to try and guess who the killer is." Finn said. Puck sighed.

"Fine I'll help you tell the Police that Blaine was _one_ of my top suspects. But I'm giving them all sides of the story." He said.

Finally Rachel spoke.

"Boys are you both sure we'll even be rescued today. I hate thinking about it, and I know I try to be positive, but maybe the killer did something else…"

"Don't talk like that Rach," Finn grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry about-"

"She'd right. We never know what's happening out here." Puck stopped Finn.

Finn looked between them a long time and then sighed.

"Okay Puck I have a back-up plan." He said.

Puck cocked his head to the side, curious. Rachel seemed distracted with listening to Santana talk. The conversation between the other three seemed to be ending. She laid a hand on Finn's arm to squeeze if need be.

"_If_ Blaine manages to do something to stop us getting rescued, I say we grab him. We can tie him up and keep him in lockdown. If he's not the killer, then no harm done. But if he is then we'll have him trapped. Even if you don't think it's him, it's better safe than sorry." Finn pressed.

Puck looked torn. Rachel's eyes were wide as she turned back to face him. She'd expected him to immediately dismiss the idea as stupid, but his hesitation confused her. She stopped listening to the others as Quinn started talking again.

"That sounds way too risky Finn." He said.

"But we'll know if he's the killer then. If we tie him up and the murders stop, we know it can't be him. And if someone else dies, then we know it wasn't and we can set him free."

Puck looked over to see Quinn smile fondly at Blaine while he spoke, gesturing wildly, eyes wide and excited, smile innocent. Santana rolled her eyes, but he saw the trust on his face that matched the trust on Quinn's.

"How do I know _you_ aren't the killer, and you're going to tie up Blaine and stop killing us so that you never get accused?" Puck asked.

Finn smiled slightly at first, and then realised that Puck wasn't joking. His face fell.

"Puck, I wouldn't-" He said.

Puck forced a smile and nodded. Though he didn't look entirely convinced, Finn knew he had to leave it there. "Just think about it. But we probably won't need the plan. I'm sure we'll get picked up."

"I'm pretty sure the answer will be no." Puck warned. Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, they were interrupted.

"Now's no time to plan a threesome ladies! Listen up!" Santana yelled.

Reluctantly, they all plastered on casual faces and turned to look at her.

Santana thought they seemed ready, so they packed the food into bags and then took a few breakfast sandwiches for the trip down to the lakeshore. Backpacks in hand, they left the Cabin together. As Blaine ran out last and shut the door, they stood on the step a moment to allow Puck to scoop Santana up into his arms from where she leant against the wall. She winced at the tug in her leg, but otherwise seemed okay. She was just a little disgruntled at having to be carried. The walk began.

The air was filled with an almost palpable sense of excitement. They ate their sandwiches, chattering about seeing their parents, and how great it would be to clamber aboard the boat and head to shore.

When they arrived, they settled. They spread out their things and Finn, now carrying Santana, put her down. The rest and went to the edge of the water, peering across to the other side. But they couldn't see any activity over there.

"It's way too early." Rachel said. "They said lunchtime, and it's half past ten. They'll be here soon."

She took Finn by the hand and led him over to sit down by their bags. The rest followed.

They remained cheerful as they continued their conversation. Time passed fairly quickly, but Puck quickly got bored.

"I'm going to try and climb a tree. I might see things better." Puck said suddenly.

They watched him go and select the right one, and then clambered onto the first branch before getting slowly higher and higher. When he was out of sight, he made sure they knew he was still there with a constant stream of swearing and complaints about how hard it was to get any grip of the tree.

When he got to the top, he called out in frustration.

"Nah, you can't really even see anything better!"

"Is there _any_ movement on the other side?" Quinn asked.

"None!" Puck sighed and began his way back down the tree, "Useless shitty tree,"

Eleven Thirty.

"Shouldn't we be able to see them now?" Rachel worried. "How long is the boat ride over? Half an hour?"

"Well they might not come at twelve." Blaine suggested.

"Or at all." Santana added.

"No, they _will_ come." Finn squeezed Rachel's hand.

"They just said lunchtime." Blaine continued as if there had been no interruption. "So that could be any time soon. I'm thinking it'll be closer to twelve, or twelve thirty."

"Well I'm tired of waiting!" Rachel groaned.

Finn hushed her gently and pulled her into his lap as he played with her hair. She murmured the words to some song none of them could hear, finally relaxing.

Santana had gotten tired of sitting still, but there wasn't much she could do. Her leg was hurting again.

"Blaine pass my bag, it has the paracetamol inside." She snapped.

"Is your leg okay?" Immediately he seemed very worried.

"Just a little sore, hand it over." She replied. Blaine obeyed, his eyes wide as she examined the seals to make sure the pills were fine. She took them quickly, before anyone worried about poisons or anything.

"No one talk to me for a while. I'll snap your head off." Santana growled, and then lay back and closed her eyes.

Blaine turned to Quinn, who laughed at him.

"She'd just crabby because poor little baby Santana is in pain." Quinn said in a joking baby-voice.

"Just because my eyes are closed it doesn't mean I can't still hear, Fabray!"

Twelve O'clock.

Santana, from her position on the ground, had sat back up and started throwing little pebbles out into the lake. She threw them as far as she could from her sitting position, getting more annoyed by the minute. At least the pain in her leg had finally dulled.

Puck was digging around a large rock, wanting to throw that.

Blaine and Quinn were talking quietly about seeing their parents again. They both knew what it was like to having loving parents that were, nevertheless, judgemental at times. They tried hard not to be, but they were.

"You're lucky though, at least both of your parents work through their problems for you. My Dad just left. Although Mum did kick him out. He was a dick anyway. I don't need him." Quinn was saying. Blaine reached for her hand. They continued the conversation in hushed tones.

Finn and Rachel were still singing together. They'd covered almost every love song ever sung on Broadway, Santana thought with a sigh. At least they were quiet.

"Okay we should at least be able to see them by now!" Santana finally said, giving another stone flick of her wrist and watching it sail out and land in the water with a soft 'plunk'.

"What's the time?" Puck asked, shifting more stones only to find he had to dig deeper to uncover his rock.

"Five past twelve," Blaine read off his watch.

"I'm checking from the tree." Rachel said, lurching upright so that Finn almost toppled over backward.

"It doesn't improve the view." Puck warned her. Rachel just ignored him and climbed, everyone pausing to watch.

She was down again in a few minutes, looking disgruntled.

"No one on the other side." She declared. "Though I could have seen that from down here."

Twelve Thirty.

Puck finally unearthed his rock. He carried it to shore with a huge smile.

"You guys ready?" He asked. "This'll knock Santana's pathetic splashes out of the water."

"That was a terrible pun." Santana scoffed. "And you _know_ I'd beat you if my leg was working,

"Dream on!" Puck called back. And with an almighty heave, he flung the rock out into the water.

The splash that rose up soaked him as he stood, arms outstretched, whooping. The cascade of water showered over him and left him dripping. He shook his Mohawk like a happy little puppy.

Unfortunately, the spray of water also caught Quinn.

"Dammit Puckerman." Her voice made him turn, laughter ending.

"Oh sorry Quinn." He said, voice casual. He reached for his bag and fumbled until he found a towel. "Let me take care of it."

He carefully crouched at her side and towelled Quinn's legs dry for her. Her expression of annoyance changed to one of longing as his hands moved steadily over her calves, pressing the towel to soak up the water.

"Wasn't aiming for you," He explained, dabbing at her pants. He glanced up and grinned into her beautiful green eyes.

"Sure," Quinn said sarcastically.

Puck reached up and caught her chin in his hands, his voice tender.

"I would never intentionally annoy you." He whispered. He had already forgotten they were surrounded by other people.

"You intentionally annoy me all the time." Quinn argued, meeting his gaze.

Puck's eyes flickered down to her lips. She licked them.

"I make you laugh," He clarified for her. "I'm pretty great at it."

"Oh my God!" Santana yelled "Just make out and be done with it! I can't _stand_ the sexual tension in the air. I'm practically suffocating."

Quinn abruptly pulled back and snatched the towel off Puck.

"Thanks for the input Santana, but I'm doing fine by myself. I don't need Puck." She snapped.

Puck looked wounded, but kept up his light-hearted manner, moving closer to Quinn again.

"That sounds awfully lonely." He told her.

Quinn jerked her head up with a flick of blonde and glared at him.

"Well, it's better not to let myself trust you, isn't it?" Her tone was sharp.

"You can trust me," Puck insisted.

"Not if you're the killer." Her eyes were wet with tears.

Puck didn't notice the tears. He actually started to laugh, as if it were a joke. Then he realised no one else was laughing with him, and he froze, studying Quinn's face. She was serious.

"No! Quinn I-"

"Let's stop talking about this." Quinn said, turning her face away. She could see how hurt Puck looked. It was making her feel guilty. Puck was an expert at playing with girl's emotions though. How many times had Quinn seem them heartbroken because of it?

One Thirty

Time passed more slowly after Puck's rock had splashed Quinn. He was fairly dry by now, lying on his back and watching the sun climb higher.

Blaine was skimming stones under Santana's careful instruction. She even dug through the pebbles at her side to find flat round rocks for him to throw.

Quinn had settled behind them, but she was watching Puck as he dried himself off. She seemed to be having some sort of inner struggle.

Finn and Rachel had moved right around from the start of the wait with Rachel on Finn's lap, to Finn lying sideways with his head in Rachel's. To Santana's relief, they had stopped singing.

But still, there was no boat in sight.

"Okay it's one thirty and there's no sign." Rachel said. "Are we sure it was today? At lunch?"

"Yes we're sure!" Quinn snapped, for what felt like the millionth time.

"Speaking of lunch," Finn said, "I'm hungry."

So they got out the sandwiches and ate.

Two Thirty.

They were going mad by this stage. They kept compulsively checking the shoreline and the conversations were stilted. Santana was crabbier than ever, and the insults were flowing off her tongue.

Puck actually waded out because he couldn't stand waiting and being still. When he returned to shore he started pacing.

"They aren't coming." He said.

"They might be late." Finn countered, stubborn.

Three Thirty.

"Finn, I think Puck's right." Rachel said. She watched Santana and Blaine hobble around. Blaine was trying to help her walk. But her leg was making that very hard. She leant heavily on his shoulder.

"They might still come! Just wait!" Finn said.

"I don't think-"

"Sit down Rachel!" Finn snapped.

Santana collapsed and their attention was taken with helping her get comfortable again.

"Sorry Santana," Blaine apologised.

"Shut up Curly Fries, not your fault." Santana insisted. "I guess I shouldn't have insisted on walking. We'll just stay seated."

Four Thirty.

Finn checked the time on his I pod, and then abruptly stood. He looked furious.

"I guess they aren't coming then! Fucking fantastic!" He whirled around to face Blaine. Everyone looked very scared.

"What did you do to them, huh?" He demanded.

For once Blaine didn't just cower. He actually looked angry.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" He said, exasperated. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes.

"Don't pretend that you and I don't know the truth!" Finn yelled. "How did you manage to get rid of the old people?"

"For the _last time!_" Blaine shouted. "It wasn't _me!_"

Then, as Finn opened his mouth to argue again, Blaine looked around at everyone. He flushed, and then suddenly he closed his eyes and his face became frightened again.

"Please just stop," He whispered. Finn shut his mouth with a snap, and turned to Rachel. He was sure everyone must have noticed the way Blaine had suddenly regained his cute manner. Glancing back at Blaine, he saw his eyebrows pulled up into the puppy-dog face again. He couldn't be serious!

"Come on Rachel." Finn snapped. "Let's lead them back up."

…

When they returned to the house, Santana was trying her hardest not to cry. The pain in her leg had gotten a lot worse. They set her down on a kitchen stool. Quinn changed the wrappings around her torn flesh, almost looking faint with relief when she saw that nothing was infected. When she was done bandaging the wound, the club carried Santana on to the Main Hall.

They sat her in a chair, and before anything else happened, Puck gasped.

"Another note!" He said, grabbing the folded paper from the arm of his chair and ripping it in his hurry to get it unfolded.

"_Yeah, I killed the old people. They don't really deserve a fairy-tale. It was unbelievably easy to just poison their water supply. Their kids all live miles away, no one will know they're dead until the police finally pick up on our absence and come to find us. By that stage, I will already have won. You're meant to have another week on the island anyway. And since I killed half our friends, you won't need the old people to come and drop off more supplies._

_Have fun with your second week!_

_xoxo, the killer."_

Puck actually growled as he tossed the note away. Everyone looked stunned.

"I knew we wouldn't escape." Santana grumbled, tear still filling her eyes and threatening to spill over.

"Poor Tom, and his poor wife. What was her name?" Rachel said.

"Don't," Quinn was shaking. "Let's not talk about them. There must be something else we can do. We have to get off this island. Who else can save us? There are other farms in this area, right?"

"Can they see the island though?" Finn asked.

"They don't have to!" Rachel looked like something was occurring to her for the first time. "They just need to see the sky!"

"The sky?" Finn asked.

"Of course!" Quinn caught on immediately. "If they think the island's on fire, they'll call the fire department!"

"And they'll come and save us!" Blaine said, leaning his head back against the couch. "I guess that will work."

"We'd have to get to the top of the hill." Puck said, looking very proud of Quinn.

"We can climb up!" Santana said. "And all we need is matches. We can get wood on the way!"

"We'll do it tonight! So that the fire's big by early morning. Then the sky will be fairly dark, so they can see it. But they'll be awake." Rachel reasoned.

Finn looked between all the enthusiastic faces, and then sighed.

"Okay someone will need to explain to me, because I have no idea what you're talking about." He said.

Blaine's jaw clenched at the sound of his voice, but the others turned to face Finn.

"You seriously don't get it?" Quinn and Santana said together. Rachel was more understanding.

"We think that if we go and build a bonfire on top of the hill, it will act like a signal fire. The people on shore, even if they are further away, will see the smoke. They'll call the fire brigade and when they come to save us, we can finally get rescued!" Rachel explained.

Finn's smile slowly grew.

"That'll be perfect!" He enthused.

"I don't know if we should do it tonight though." Blaine said.

"Why?" Finn demanded. "So you can have more time to kill people? No we're doing this tonight."

"I just meant I don't think Santana can make it up the hill." Blaine said softly.

Santana looked very disappointed. "Blaine's right."

"Maybe we can split up?" Quinn suggested. There was an immediate hiss of disapproval.

"No Quinn might be right." Rachel said.

"If we split in half, three can climb the hill and the other three can stay here. It means that there will be two people against the killer in whichever group the killer ends up in. Everyone just has to watch each other's backs. I don't think there's anything the killer can do against that." Quinn elaborated on her points.

"Well if we have to do it today, let's do that." Blaine agreed.

"Who's staying then?" Puck's worried eyes were on Quinn.

"Obviously, I will. I think it's best that Quinn stays with me, as she's the one who seems to know what she's doing medically." Santana said, gesturing to her throbbing leg.

"Okay then Finn and Blaine, come with me to make the fire." Puck said. They were his two top suspects right now, and though he also thought Rachel was a candidate for the spot, he knew that Quinn and Santana would be stronger than her. So he'd leave Quinn with them.

"Boys and Girls?" Blaine said. "Okay, that works."

So long as Puck was there, and not leaving him and Finn alone, he seemed okay with the decision. He appeared to trust Puck.

"Everyone okay with that?" Puck asked.

They all nodded, seemed determined to make this work. Finn went to Rachel and gathered her in his arms.

"I'll be right back. I love you," He whispered, kissing her softly.

"I love you two." Rachel murmured against his lips. "Be safe."

They deepened the kiss. Santana made a retching noise.

"Oh Blaine, Puck, I'm going to miss you!" Santana said in a mocking voice, making kissy faces at them. "Come here and let me say goodbye!"

The boys laughed.

"Shh, San, let them have their moment." Quinn whispered.

"We aren't even leaving yet." Blaine sighed. "We'll need to take water bottles and matches for sure. We may as well go and gather things. And we'll have dinner first, I think."

"It's five o'clock now." Quinn said, "Let's eat!"

* * *

Please keep reviewing, we're getting really close!


	30. Signal

I know this chapter's coming pretty soon after the first, but I really got into the writing mood. Remember, next chapter the killer is revealed! So _please _get your guesses in before then. I'd love to see what you think by the end of this chapter.

* * *

They made a quick dinner and then queued up to grab plates and serve themselves. Puck and Finn were at the back together, and Finn wasted no time in leaning over and whispering in Puck's ear.

"Look, it must seem obvious that it's Blaine by now." He hissed. "He was the last out of the house, so he must have left the note. And you saw his acting when I yelled at him."

"I don't know," Puck looked torn, but resigned. Finn realised he must have made a decision.

"So? This is the perfect time to grab Blaine. We'll get him when we're alone on the mountain. Are you in?" He asked, excited.

Puck closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He glanced over at where Blaine was holding out his plate as Santana squirted ketchup onto it for him.

"I'm in." He breathed. Though Finn whooped and quickly began to shovel food onto his plate, satisfied, Puck looked like he was already unsure whether he'd made the right decision.

…

Meanwhile, as Blaine and Quinn talked, oblivious, Santana nudged Rachel and made the shorter girl lean over to talk to her.

"Rachel, we're going to be alone with Quinn, so I think I need to tell you this." Santana whispered. "No don't look at Quinn, you dolt! Just smile, act casual."

Rachel quickly plastered on a smile and nodded along as if Santana was telling her something completely normal, rather than talking behind Quinn's back.

"I would have been able to climb the hill with everyone you know," Santana started by saying. "If Artie's chair was okay, you could have pushed me up in it."

"I know, we discussed that earlier." Rachel said, confused.

"Shh, I'm not done." Santana hushed her. "But the reason that we couldn't use the chair to get me up the hill was because, after Artie died, Quinn insisted that we wheel him through to the other room _in his chair,_ getting it covered in blood. Now Artie's body is in it and none of us have the time to clean it. Nor do we want to touch his body again. Meaning we can't use it. Oddly convenient, right? It just seems like a really good way to split us up."

"So you think it's _Quinn_ killing people?" Rachel asked.

"No, but just like every time, we won't really ever know. But I know for sure that she's pretty suspicious right now." Santana shrugged. "So I was warning you to remember not to trust anyone completely."

"That includes you, right?" Rachel said, testing the water.

"Sure! _I_ probably wouldn't trust me." Santana grinned. "No go sit down before people notice."

…

They ate quickly. Quinn found Miss Pillsbury's first aid kit and pulled out some more pain killers for Santana, who swallowed them quickly. Rachel spent long time fretting over them staying safe and building the bonfire properly before setting it alight. When they were finished eating, the boys began to gather their things for the climb. Quinn ordered them all to stay inside while she ran out to the shed where Mr Schue had found the axe and after some searching, found a high beam torch that she remembered Mr Schue mentioning might be useful for some night-time games. It would be even better for their firewood collecting.

She brought it back up and gave it to Puck. The boys could set it up like a lamp when they built the bonfire.

"You have everything you need now, right?" She asked, looking over all the guys until her eyes rested on Puck.

"Hold on, there's one more thing." Puck had remained very thoughtful ever since he'd told Finn his decision, and now he quickly dashed out of the room. He finally looked like he'd worked out a solution to whatever was troubling him. Quinn nearly followed, but Rachel grabbed her arm.

"Wait here." She ordered. Quinn shook her off, but stayed. They started talking again as they waited, no idea what Puck was doing on the other side of the door.

Puck paused a moment and listened to make sure no one was following. Then he slipped his bag down to the ground and crossed the room in three quick strides.

Very carefully, he opened the cupboard at the far end of the room. He sighed in relief when he saw that the gun was still there, and hadn't been reclaimed by the killer. It was gleaming as bright as ever and, when he checked it, was fully loaded.

Puck weighed the gun in his hands for a moment. He looked unsure whether he should actually take it. But then he heard a laugh from the other room and his head snapped up, internal debate interrupted.

Hurriedly, he shoved the gun into his bag and zipped it shut. Then he looked around and grabbed the nearest i pod as an excuse for his trip.

He pushed open the door to see Quinn blushing and everyone else laughing fondly at her. He picked up quickly that it was something to do with him, and smirked.

"Sorry babe, I wanted to know the time." He waved the i pod, which he now realised was Quinn's. "You don't mind if I borrow it."

"I guess not." Quinn brushed back her hair and stood quickly, wanting to regain control of the situation. "Come on! We have to take you out and say goodbye."

"I can't move." Santana sighed. "Everyone c'mere and hug me."

They laughed and gathered around in a tight circle.

"Love you guys," Quinn said, and she was echoed by everyone in the circle. It was nice and companionable in the midst of the chaos of later.

"I hate that I can't tell which one you is lying." Santana broke the mood. Everyone pulled back.

"Alright boys, time to go. Blaine, lean in for Aunty Tana." She said, pretending to be stern. Santana looked like she was going to just hug him, but she gave him a sharp peck on the lips. Blaine looked startled, blushing, and she laughed at him. "Come on Puck, Finn, don't be shy. I needs ta say goodbye."

Puck rolled his eyes and let her kiss him before pushing Finn in to do the same. Finn looked very uncomfortable, and that seemed to make Santana happy.

"Okay, have fun!" Santana called, still overly joyous.

Her friends looked at her for a long moment.

"Okaaay," Finn said slowly, taking Rachel's hand and pushing the door open. It was scarily dark outside.

"How many painkillers did you take?" Quinn asked her, laughing. Santana stuck out her tongue.

"Go on, take your man outside." She said.

Blaine watched them leave behind Finn and Rachel, and turned to Santana.

"Uh, we probably shouldn't be alone." Santana said, raising an eyebrow. The truth was that she was scared of this separation. She was scared that if anyone died, it would be all her and her stupid leg's fault. She did not want to break down; hence the overly cheerful goodbye.

"I know, I just wanted to thank you," Santana realised Blaine's eyes were moist with tears.

He shuffled uncertainly from foot to foot, glancing back at the door before deciding to continue.

"After Kurt d-died I didn't think I'd ever – I mean I never thought I could live without him. And I know I'll _never _love anyone again. I'll think of him every moment of forever. I'll see him in everything until the moment I die, whether that be here on this island or back home after I've grown old a-alone."

"Blainers," She reached for his hand and he bent down for a hug, sniffling and trying to hold in his tears.

"His death was so rushed I barely processed it. And I still can't believe it happened. But there's _one single_ good thing coming out of this, and that's you Santana. I think – I think you're my best friend now. I never thought we would, but we _work_. And I know we'll always be there for each other. So if anything happens tonight, at least we can have that kind of love, right?"

"Yeah," Santana's voice broke, She shifted her chin over Blaine's head and laughed at herself. "Dammit Anderson you made me cry."

She ruffled his hair as he stood and tried to bite back his tears. He was a little surprised everyone actually left them alone long enough for him to say what he'd needed to.

"You stay safe okay?" Santana requested.

"You too," Blaine gave her a watery smile, and then disappeared into the night with the others.

…

Finn led Rachel a little ways away from the door, so that as Quinn and Puck followed, they could still be seen, but they could have some time to talk alone.

Rachel stood on tip toes and kissed him as soon as they were alone.

"Puck and I are going to do it." Finn's comment ruined the mood.

"What? He _agreed_ to corner _Blaine_?" Rachel looked stunned. "Oh no, no honey you can't do that."

She gripped his jacket and pushed against him.

"You _can't._" She murmured, suddenly very upset. "If you're wrong everyone will _hate_ you, and if you're right then you might get _hurt_. The killer isn't going to get caught so easy."

"Rachel," Finn clasped her hands. "I'll be okay. Don't worry."

Rachel bit her lip. "Finn it's dangerous."

"I have Puck's help. Blaine's a small guy. It can't go wrong."

"Oh but Finn,"

"Do you trust me?" His question stopped her and she sighed, leaning in and resting her head on his chest.

"Yes," She mumbled, a little disgruntled.

"Then trust me on this." Very gently he reached down and titled her chin up, gazing at her with that half smile of his. "I love you."

"I love you too." She reached up again and he met her in the middle for a second kiss.

…

Quinn and Puck left the Cabin almost right after Finn and Rachel did. They saw Rachel leaning up to kiss Finn the first time and rolled their eyes.

"Can't keep them off each other, can we?" Quinn sighed, turning to face Puck instead.

"Well Rachel _is _a really good kisser." Puck said. When Quinn raised an eyebrow, he casually continued. "I'm serious. Compare the glee club girls. Santana wasn't so into the romantic kissing as much as the sex, Brittany's okay I guess, but again, she's more keen on everything else. At least she was with me. Mercedes was a fairly good kisser I guess. But Rachel beats them. There's only _one_ glee girl I've kissed who can beat her as well. And this girl beats her by _miles_."

Quinn took the bait, smirking a little. A little flirting couldn't be too bad. "Oh and who could that be?" She asked.

Puck leaned in closer, smiling madly now. "I don't know, I haven't kissed her in a while. I might have to give it a try again. Just to make sure she's still perfect."

Quinn almost closed her eyes and leaned in closer. But just as Puck started to close his, she snapped back to reality.

"No," She raised a hand and turned her face away. "I can't kiss you."

"Quinn," Puck took her hand and laced their fingers together. "Why do you keep running?"

"I can't trust you," She murmured, sensing how close they were even with her eyes closed.

"You clearly do trust me already, since you try to fight against your own emotions so hard." He said, but there was no accusation in his voice. "I should know, since I spent so long trying to pretend you would just be another hook up. I know what denial looks like."

"Puck - Noah, I-" She started to protest again.

"Quinn, I love you. I still do." Puck said. "Please give me that chance. I _love _you."

"Oh," Quinn said softly, her eyes flying open and her lips parting.

Her eyes searched Puck's face for a long time. He merely stared into her eyes with sudden vulnerability.

"I think," Quinn sighed, her eyes sliding shut, her eyelashes brushing her cheeks. "I think I will. I'll give you the chance,"

And, ever so carefully, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

It was an intensely sweet kiss, and though it was short, it made Puck's insides melt. Quinn looked like she felt the same way, shaking slightly as she pulled back and they both stared at each other.

A quiet, polite cough, made them pull apart. Quinn blushed. Puck looked so relieved after the kiss that Blaine almost wanted to laugh. He felt a little bad for interrupting them, but he didn't want Santana left alone for too long, so he was ready to send the girls back in.

"Um, I think we were…"

"Leaving, yes!" Quinn said, sounding as if she'd forgotten. Blaine hid his smile as she turned to Puck and said very formally "Well, goodbye."

"See you later babe," Puck leaned in a kissed her deeply this time, leaving her reeling as he pulled back. Blaine smile faded as something bitter twisted in his stomach. He turned away and walked down to Finn and Rachel quickly. They were turning to face him already.

"Something wrong?" Rachel asked at the sight of his crumpled expression. He'd just gotten rid of his tears after talking to Santana. He did not want to cry again. Though it was hard with a clear memory of Kurt's mind blowing kisses imprinted on his brain.

"No, I'm okay." Blaine said. He heard Puck and Quinn following.

"I love you," Puck said to Quinn just as they reached the group. Finn and Rachel stared in shock at the bold statement. They hadn't noticed the kiss, and so the hand-holding and declaration of love seemed rather sudden. Only Quinn caught sight of the pain on Blaine's face. "_I love you," _combined with the kiss seemed to be bringing back too many memories for him. It stopped Quinn from making any sort of response to Puck's declaration this time, because she was distracted.

"We'll see you boys later." Quinn reached out and pulled Blaine into a hug, whispering in his ear "Take care of yourself."

Puck and Finn hugged Rachel and then they all stood and looked at each other for a long moment. Blaine joined the boys and they pulled out the smaller torch and turned it on, beginning their journey as soon as Quinn and Rachel made it back inside the house.

…

The girl's carried Santana to the Main Hall together, making another pile of bedding and cuddling up inside it. Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Quinn said, ever so softly, "Well, Puck kissed me."

"Fucking finally!" Santana cried at the exact same time that Rachel gasped. "Oh Quinn that's wonderful."

Quinn smiled to herself, leaning her head against the couch. "It is, isn't it?" She breathed.

"I thought you didn't trust him?" Rachel asked.

"He wasn't really asking me to trust him. Just to… give him a chance." Quinn explained. "And it was an amazing kiss."

"I bet it was, since you spent the whole week making eyes at each other." Santana laughed, and the other two joined in.

But when they were finished, the silence stretched and they shifted uneasily under the blankets. Rachel dug around for her i pod and put on quiet music in the background. Still they didn't speak. They just stared out of the window at the wind and the darkness.

"I hope no one gets hurt." Rachel said obviously. The other two girls shivered slightly, and shuffled closer, Rachel sandwiched in their hug.

"So do we," Quinn whispered, clinging, "So do we."

Tears started to leak from Santana's eyes and she thought about the group climbing the mountain, with Puck likely the only thing keeping Finn and Blaine from killing each other. If one of those two weren't the killer, their hatred seemed strong enough to make them do drastic things. She didn't want anyone else dead.

She reached over and realised Quinn and Rachel had started crying as well. Rather than staying strong, they just wept and held on tightly, seeking comfort in the warmth of each other, even if one of them might have been acting the whole time.

…

The boys started walking, and Puck couldn't help himself, he started talking about Quinn.

"So me and Quinn were just talking, and I realised for about the millionth time that she's the most beautiful girl in the world." Puck began.

Blaine grinned at him, "I know where this is going."

"Shh, let me surprise Finn!" Puck waved him off, looking guilty at the sight of how happy Blaine was for him, when he was going to attack Blaine later. "So she looked as lovely as ever, and I was saying goodbye. I asked her to give me a chance. It kind of seemed like she was going to kiss me."

"Really?" Finn sounded shocked that Quinn could have gone from pushing Puck away to wanting to kiss him in one afternoon.

"Yes, and then she pulled away. So I decided to lay all my cards on the table. I told her I love her. I think I shocked her. We shared this… this moment. And _then_ she let me kiss her!" He bounced a little as he said it, catching the strap of his bag as it swung.

"Woah, dude that's awesome!" Finn said, trying to stand in front of Blaine and cut him out of the conversation. Blaine just sped up a little and came up on Puck's other side.

"She looked so happy afterwards. You guys will be great together." Blaine encouraged, smiling that open, friendly smile of his. Puck averted his eyes. Only Finn noticed the slight frustration that crossed Blaine's face as Puck turned away. He smiled at Blaine; very happy that Puck seemed to be entirely on Finn's side, though Puck was still looking guilty about having chosen sides.

"I know," Puck said, hitching his bag higher on his back. "How far along are we?"

"Dude we've only been walking for like two minutes, we just got out of sight of the cabin." Finn gestured behind them, and Puck turned, walking backwards and squinting toward the flickering light that was fading through the branches of the trees. He hoped with all his heart the girls would stay safe inside their house of light.

Unfortunately, he wasn't looking where he was going. He didn't notice the branch crossing his path.

Puck stumbled, and it was Blaine who reached out to catch him.

As Puck felt the smaller guy supporting him from behind, he locked eyes with Finn, who was leaning forward as if he might help. Puck lurched upright, yanking his arm out of Blaine's grip and turning to glare at him.

"I don't need you help! Stop trying to be such a fricking gentleman all the time!" Puck exploded. He couldn't stand it if Blaine was going to spend the whole night being nothing but kind to him.

Blaine looked wounded. He stumbled back a little himself, gulping.

"Sorry," Blaine said meekly, turning away with his head ducked. "Let's just keep going."

Puck's face crumpled and he pressed on ahead, walking as far from Finn and Blaine as he could without leaving the circle of torchlight. Finn sighed. It seemed like Puck couldn't stand even looking at Blaine and knowing he was about to betray him. Finn was very worried that Blaine kindness might start manipulating Puck into backing out of the plan he'd made with Finn.

Finn sped up, leaving Blaine scrambling to catch up and keep the torch shining on the path in front of the group.

They walked on for a while. Finn was trying desperately to think of a way to talk to Puck without Blaine noticing. About twenty minutes passed like this. They were getting higher up the hill.

"Puck we _have_ to do it," Finn breathed when he reached Puck's side. Blaine was just behind them though, and Finn wasn't sure if he'd heard.

"I don't know what you mean." Puck said aloud. But he nodded a fraction, just enough for Finn to see and Blaine to miss because he kept his eyes on where he was going. Glancing back at Blaine, Puck mouthed 'I will'. Finn relaxed.

"I just meant we have to go make the fire," Finn said, for Blaine's benefit. "I know you want to go back to the girls; to Quinn."

"Oh right," Puck said, "Yeah I'd rather it we'd all stuck together."

"We're in groups of three." Blaine seemed nervous about speaking, glancing at Puck through his lashes to check he wasn't about to be yelled at. "So we should be fine. So long as us guys all stick together. If we don't go out of sight of one another, we'll be fine."

"Except for going to the toilet," Finn clarified, laughing as if the idea of peeing within sight was ridiculous. "We can split for that."

"I suppose, but it's best if we all stay together." Blaine said slowly.

"What, it's not like we'd be dumb enough to attack each other or anything." Finn said. "Two people will be standing watching each other very closely ready to scream if things go wrong, and the other person can go pee. There's _no_ chance of anyone attacking each other."

Puck glanced at Finn and then laughed, taking on his easy going manner to show he understood what Finn was planning.

"Unless you both join forces and jump me or something!" He laughed, as if the concept was completely ridiculous. He hoped Finn would understand that he intended to join forces and get Blaine. This at least made Blaine laugh. The very idea of Finn teaming up with him had become absurd. He didn't pick up of the subtext passing between the other two.

"Well they'll have to be quick toilet stops if we need them." Blaine warned, serious again.

They nodded along and fell silent, Puck and Finn exchanging another glance over Blaine head. Puck nodded at Finn and clutched tighter at his bag strap, taking comfort in the gun hidden inside the bag. _Just in case_.

They walked a long time with hardly anyone speaking, except for some questions about how they'd build the fire properly.

When an hour had gone by, Finn raised an eyebrow at Puck from behind Blaine. Puck shook he head and gestured up the path.

"Further," he mouthed.

"Now," Finn mouthed back. Puck shook his head again, but Finn coughed loudly.

"All that talk of peeing made me need to go." He called. Blaine stopped reluctantly and turned around.

"Hold on a bit longer." Puck said sternly, not pausing in his strides of up the wooden pathway.

"But I need to go!" Finn said.

"There's a clearing about half an hour from here." Puck said. "Remember? From the brochure of the island Mr Schue showed us? We memorised the walk so we knew which clearings to stop in and wait for stragglers if we got really far ahead when we did the tramp."

Though they'd never finished the tramp because of Tina's death, Finn did remember looking at the map. He considered the idea of a clearing. It would be a good place to ambush Blaine. There was enough open ground that Blaine wouldn't escape by darting through trees where he'd have the advantage of his small size to get away.

"Fine," Finn sighed as if he was annoyed, but he was pleased that Puck was thinking ahead.

They continued their long walk in the dark. When they reached the clearing, it seemed almost surreal. Finn's adrenaline was pumping. He felt alive. He felt in control.

"Okay, wait here guys," He said. He gave Puck a significant look. "Don't do anything until I get back."

Blaine sighed and turned his torch on Puck. Though he didn't suspect him, the rules were to watch him and scream if Puck tried to kill him. Puck did the same, but he wouldn't look Blaine in the eye.

This made Blaine nervous. He glanced over to the trees where Finn disappeared. Oddly enough, he thought he could see a shadow moving along the edge of the trees. But the next second he flashed his torch over and there was only a thick bush blowing in the wind.

Blaine turned back to Puck, sighing. His ears were pricked for any sound. There was something about standing still - about waiting - that put him on edge. He didn't like it.

"So Puck, are we going to light the fire and then go back down in the morning and leave it going, or wait until we see help on its way?" He asked, trying to fill the silence.

"I don't know. We'll work it out at the time." Puck said. He seemed closed off. Blaine was deeply uncomfortable now. He glanced around. It was eerily quiet. There was only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Okay," Blaine said softly. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. Something wasn't right.

Puck looked up in time to Blaine's gaze moving back down to the torch in his hands. Blaine fiddled with the strap the connected it to his wrist. His shoulders seemed stiff. He body was tense.

Puck's gaze roved back up as he saw movement in the trees. Finn emerged, oddly quiet for someone so clumsy, although he was focusing very carefully on where he stepped. When Finn was safely out on the grass, he looked up and smiled.

The two boys made eye contact, and then Finn leaned his body weight forward, ready to spring.

Puck bit his lip and then nodded, shifting subtly into an easy angle to launch himself at Blaine. Finn gave Puck that lopsided smile of his. Puck could tell his blood was pumping, and he realised his own pulse had picked up.

Finn mouthed the words very clearly…

"…three… two… one… now!"

* * *

I haven't been getting as many reviews as I used to, so I'd love to get some more this time! I love everyone giving feedback, it mean the world to me! But thank you for reading anyway. We're so close to the end now!


	31. Three Little Pigs

Well here we go... this is the chapter the killer is revealed.

I tried to write it switching between each person's perspective as the scene from last chapter continues. You'll get an idea of how each person feels about the current situation.

Right now your top suspects are as follows:

Finn, (almost tied with) Rachel, Quinn, Puck (very far behind) and then Blaine as the least suspected.

Because this is the reveal, I would absolutely love to see your reactions at the end. So please review this chapter in particular. Also a warning, next chapter will be super short because I want another cliffhanger. Now read on!

* * *

Blaine looked up just in time to see Puck's muscles tense as he crouched to spring.

Realisation clicked in his mind. In a split second he knew he was about to be attacked. If he hadn't already been terrified he might not even have noticed the subtle change. But he did.

The second this thought crossed his mind, Blaine screamed, half-falling half-jumping to the side at the exact moment that Puck sprung. Blaine felt the wind rush past as Puck tumbled, caught off guard by Blaine moving. Puck's arm brushed his as the bigger boy righted himself.

Blaine turned to run, to find Finn. Even if Finn hated him, he had to see sense if he saw Puck pursuing Blaine. He had to decide to help him. But the next second Blaine felt something slam, hard, into his back. He lurched away, a small scream building on his lips as he felt a hand tighten around his right arm.

And then Puck was in front of him, and Blaine gasped, turning and pulling with all his might when he realised that Finn was behind him. They were _both_ fighting him. Blaine didn't even have time to comprehend what that might mean. His heart was beating in his throat.

All he could think of was escape.

As Blaine struggled, Puck grabbed his left arm and took a tight grip on his right just as Finn let go of him. Finn kicked Blaine's legs out from under him, but Blaine stumbled, determined to stay upright. He lashed out and managed to connect with Finn's shins, sending the boy tripping backwards.

Puck yanked him forward, forcing him to his knees. Blaine bucked, his head smacking into Finn's jaw as Finn bent down behind him. As Blaine wriggled, Puck trying to hold him, he realised Finn was carrying a length of rope. Blaine gulped, rocking back and twisting to the side, ramming his knee into Finn's crotch.

"Blaine, come on," Puck's voice was oddly pleading, oddly gentle for someone trying to attack him, and Blaine only struggled harder, twisting his right arm until Puck had to let go.

As Puck swore and grabbed for him again, Blaine leapt to his feet and tried to run. Finn was still doubled over, whimpering slightly as he tried to regain his footing and his wits.

Blaine screamed again, full of anger and frustration as he felt the vice tight grip around his left wrist. Puck pulled, making him lose balance, and Puck grabbed his shirt, yanking him closer again. Blaine felt the awful urge to laugh as its movement tickled his side.

"Finn, the rope! We have to tie him up now or-" Blaine swung his fist at Puck. His punch, practised with years of boxing, smacked Puck in the jaw, but he held on.

Blaine whimpered.

In the moonlight that shone through the clouds, Puck caught sight of Blaine's face; his wide eyes and tousled hair, his terrified desperation. He looked like freaking Bambi.

"Please Puck, I thought you were my friend. First Kurt and now, _this_?" He begged, tears filling his eyes. He wasn't pulling as hard anymore. Neither was Puck. They stood, breathing heavily and staring at each other, tugging pathetically.

"Puck don't listen to him." Finn warned through gritted teeth. He clambered to his feet.

"Dude I didn't kill Kurt." Puck said. He couldn't think what else to say.

Blaine's face crumpled, tears spilling over. He still looked like Bambi. Puck felt like a monster. He thought Blaine was giving up. His grip loosened, just a little.

But Blaine wasn't giving up, he was gathering courage to do something.

With a gasp, Blaine jerked free. He looked consumed with guilt as he kicked harshly upward, his foot connecting with Puck's eye. Puck screamed. Blaine seemed stunned for a moment, and then he turned and ran into the trees.

"Fuck!" Finn cried, staggering to Puck's side. "He's going to get the girls!"

…

When Rachel, the last to stop crying, had sniffed into silence, Quinn yawned.

"I doubt we'll get any sleep tonight. Do you guys want hot chocolates or something?" She asked.

Because both girls agreed, they carried Santana through to a chair in the kitchen and Quinn and Rachel made the drinks. Santana was gazing out the window as they bickered over making milky hot chocolates heated in the microwave or using boiled water to do it.

She wondered where the boys were, and hoped they'd stay safe. Blaine was still so fragile after Kurt's death. At least he had Puck to protect him if Finn went nuts.

As for things back in the cabin, Santana was still battling internally. She was trying to work out if either of the girls were the killer. But as always, she couldn't reach any conclusion. And her leg was still aching dully. The more she thought about it, the more she realised she might have been lucky not to die of blood loss.

The argument settled with Quinn winning and setting the three cups full of hot chocolate powder and milk into the microwave and pressing go.

Santana watched the drawn way Quinn interacted with them, the way the sharp green eyes took everything in. She knew Quinn had the capability to kill everyone, and the ability to toss aside morals to get what she wanted. Santana hadn't forgotten Quinn's desperate scramble for Beth. But Quinn was also so kind, so tender with her mothering instinct. She gave Rachel the first hot chocolate, shifting her hands gently as she gave up the cup before passing over her cup as well and offering to carry Santana back to the other room.

Santana felt at home in Quinn's arms, even though she felt bad for being such a burden. But rather than stare sullenly into her own cup she watched Quinn's face. She saw no signs of cruelty. She only saw a worried, caring young woman. But then, it could all be an act.

When Quinn has put Santana down again, she began to consider Rachel.

Rachel was also a little nuts. She'd sent Sunshine to a crack house in a desperate bid for power. She was a fantastic actress, as loathe as Santana was to admit it. She remembered performing beside her in West Side Story. She hated that she could never trust if Rachel's emotions were real.

But Rachel was also a sweetheart. She put up with all of Finn's nonsense and she tried her hardest to keep their spirits up. Right now she looked absolutely tiny curled up in Finn's sleeping bag while she tucked her own one, unzipped, over the top. Santana just couldn't imagine Rachel having the strength to commit these crimes.

"Santana are you okay?" Quinn asked.

"I'm a little tired." Santana sighed, taking a sip from her mug. "That's all."

"You looked pretty deep in thought." Rachel said, head tilting to the side.

"Yeah. Well." Santana's eyelashes fluttered as she glanced back out at dark window. She hoped the boys were sticking together. If they weren't things could end up disastrous.

If one of them was the killer and they managed to escape into the woods, they could sneak around and kill someone with ease. She especially couldn't stop herself from wondering what might happen if Finn went crazy. He mind just kept snapping back to that point. And her new best friend was out there. But what if Blaine turned out to be the killer? Santana thought she might explode with fury at that sort of betrayal. She could barely even comprehend it.

But it was a possibility.

And she was so tired. She was just completely exhausted.

"Santana careful, you're dropping the m-" Quinn grabbed the mug as it dropped from Santana's loose fingers.

"Santana?" Rachel asked.

The world-weary girl let out a sigh as she burrowed deeper under the blankets. She was asleep. Quinn chuckled.

"Poor thing," She said. "She worries way too much."

"Mmm," Rachel agreed. She ran her fingers over the bandaged leg and then shifted Santana's blanket to cover her and keep her warm. "I'm actually pretty sleepy too."

"We should get some rest before tomorrow I guess, especially if this plan works." Quinn said, turning over and shifting down under her own covers. "Goodnight Rachel,"

"Goodnight Quinn," Rachel replied. She turned the light out.

…

Blaine's feet seemed way too loud as he raced through the trees, ducking under their branches. His breathe was squeezing in his chest. His lungs were already starting to beg for more air. He wished he had time to calm down, but he could hear crashing in the trees behind him.

It seemed clear to him now. Finn and Puck must both be killers. They had to have been working together.

It broke Blaine's heart. To think that Kurt must have seen Finn before he died. He must have realised that his brother was betraying him. One of the people he trusted most had taken his life. Blaine couldn't help imagining what Kurt's face must have looked like when he saw Finn.

Tears built in his eyes and he quickly blinked them away. He could barely see where he was going as it was. The moonlight didn't provide much to go by.

"Blaine!" Finn's voice sounded way to close. He was off to Blaine's left, behind him. Blaine sped up, turning to the right.

Without warning, he stumbled onto the wooden path. Gasping, Blaine froze. He turned and checked back the way he had come, and saw nothing. Though he hated being out in the open, he knew this was the quickest way back to the girls.

He had to protect them.

Blaine started running again. His feet slammed into the pathway. Images of Kurt's terrified face, imagined pictures of Finn's vindictive smile, or Puck's smirk, filled Blaine's head. He wanted to cry. But he had to keep running. He had to save the girls. He was sure Puck and Finn were the killers, and he knew he had to do all in his power to stop them from killing again.

Focusing hard as his breaths became more laboured, Blaine thought of other things. He thought of Kurt's happy face. He thought of Kurt leaning his forehead against Blaine's and whispering the words Blaine had texted him many times when they had only been friends. "Courage." He thought of their first kiss, and that feeling of vitality and life.

Blaine ran faster, his fear wasn't killing him. He would do this for Kurt. He would save his best friend and Kurt's best friend and dear, dear Quinn, who would be broken hearted when she realised it was Puck.

Blaine thought of Kurt's belief in him that helped him get Tony. He always zigged when Blaine expected him to zag. It was time for Blaine to be strong. He would zig and be brave and strong rather than being the scared broken person he had been so far. Kurt would encourage him to do that now. _Kurt_ would do it, no matter the cost. He would protect his friends.

Blaine recognised the trees he was passing. He was getting closer. Running downhill was a lot faster than walking up, even if it were exhausting. He slowed down a little, listening for sounds of pursuit. He couldn't hear anything.

Blaine remembered Kurt encouraging him when his brother had arrived in town and made him feel worthless again. Blaine remembered before that, after West Side Story, when Kurt had offered to go back to his house. Blaine remembered that feeling of love, that feeling of everything being right in the world.

He took courage from all of it. Every memory helped him run on. He would stop the people who had robbed the world of the most beautiful thing in it. He would not let them kill again. He would save the girls and make Kurt proud.

He'd been running a long time now, slowing until he caught his breathe and then racing on again.

The light in the window of the cabin was visible now. Though they'd turned off the main light, the faint glow of the lamp remained. Blaine fixed his eyes on that and picked up speed again.

…

Rachel lay in the darkness, with Finn's sleeping bag pulled up around her ears. It was comforting and warm and smelled like him. She couldn't relax though, because she knew Finn was outside. She knew he was going to carry out his crazy plan and catch Blaine.

She trusted him not to hurt Blaine. But what if Blaine or Puck hurt him without him having time to prevent it? Rachel couldn't stand the idea that Blaine might be the killer. Blaine might be ready for Finn's attack. He might counter-attack before Finn so much as lifted a finger. He might kill him.

But Puck was there, Rachel comforted herself. And he was on Finn's side. Puck would help Finn tie Blaine up and then Blaine couldn't hurt anyone.

But what if Puck was the killer?

Rachel almost whimpered as she considered a new idea, a thought that hadn't occurred to her yet. If Puck was the killer he might wait until Finn and he had tied Blaine up. Then he would attack Finn and Blaine would have to watch, unable to do anything. It would be way too easy for Puck to kill off the girls after that. Especially now that Quinn kissed him, and trusted him.

Quinn said she didn't trust him, but Rachel could tell that she did. It was obvious in the way Quinn leaned into his embrace whenever they were together. They gravitated toward each other. If Quinn didn't trust Puck, she would be constantly on alert around him.

But Puck _couldn't _be the killer. It just didn't seem like him. Sure, he was a bad-boy. But he wasn't a murderer. And Puck would never have gone to all the effort of creating the fairytales. He wouldn't have fabricated the deaths the way the killer had.

For the millionth time Rachel decided it couldn't be Puck.

She sort of hoped it was Santana right now. Because Santana was asleep and would remain so. Her leg was too sore to allow her to catch either Quinn or Rachel. The boys would get back safely and they would all survive.

Rachel desperately hoped this was true. She hoped Santana was the killer. Maybe she had cut her own leg, as sick and awful as that was.

Rachel hoped this, not because she liked Santana the least. Not at all. Instead she hoped this because it meant no one had to die tonight. She hoped because it was a easiest solution. It meant Finn would live and everyone else as well.

Rachel couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She fell asleep, brow furrowed as her mind racing until the last moment.

…

Puck took off after Blaine without a second thought, but already he couldn't see where the other boy had gone. He could hear Finn's footsteps running parallel to him, a little behind as he tried to regain speed after being kicked in the nuts.

Puck could hear sounds ahead, so he turned toward them, angling himself as he ran, and changing direction to chase the source of the noise.

His feet already hurt a little from the walk, and now they slammed against the ground as he ran. He could still hear Finn crashing behind him, and he strained to hear the quieter, shuffling steps that belonged to Blaine. Puck dodged a tree branch and noticed bent twigs where Blaine must have ran. They scratched at Puck skin as he followed and he had to admire Blaine's determination.

"Blaine!" Finn shouted behind him. Puck skidded to a halt to tell Finn off, because yelling would only help Blaine locate them, but then he decided running on was more important.

When he stopped to listen however, Blaine's footsteps came to a halt and then suddenly picked up speed. They emitted way less sound now. The echo of each one was slightly hollow. _Maybe he's taken his shoes off or something?_ Puck thought. He didn't realise Blaine had found the path.

Puck swore because Blaine was already getting too far away to hear over the noise of Finn smashing along behind him.

He wished he'd never agreed to try and catch Blaine. At least now Puck was fairly sure Blaine must be the killer. Why else would the usually calm and sensible Blaine fight back to viciously instead of trying to explain? Why else would he have been so _good _at fighting?

And Blaine's manipulative words had made Puck sure of it. He'd known just what to say to make Puck pause, he'd know that crying would make Puck loosen his grip, allowing him to escape.

Puck kept running straight. He couldn't hear Blaine at all anymore. It freaked him out.

In fact he couldn't hear Finn just then either.

Having Blaine separating him from Quinn was too much for him to take. He needed his gun. He wouldn't shoot. He'd just threaten Blaine with that cost if Blaine didn't stop running. Puck swung his bag off his back as he ran and took the gun out, tucking it into his waistband. He could go faster now at least.

So Puck continued, speeding down the hill, smashing through trees and slowing himself down without realising that if he moved five more metres to his right he would end up on the wooden path and be way faster and quieter.

When he caught up to Blaine, Puck was ready to whip out the gun and yell "Stop!"

He would save Quinn.

He had to.

…

Everything was dark except the pool of light from the lamp at the side of the room. In the light, careful bare feet stepped, gently brushing back Rachel's hair. The face no one saw lit up with a smile.

Very carefully, a pair of hands reached out and grasped the edges of Finn's sleeping bag, pulling back smoothly so that Rachel slid across the floor without noticing the change. When Rachel was safely removed from the tangled of blanket surrounding Santana, the set of bare feet moved back.

Because Santana had already fallen asleep sitting up, the job was a little easier than moving her if she'd been lying down, but ten deft fingers tied a gag around her mouth easily. Santana was so exhausted she didn't even wake up. Gently, the killer slipped an arm under her legs and the other around her shoulder, lifting her off the sofa.

"Hmmphf," Santana grunted, stirring. The pair of eyes above her head widened and the mouth quickly opened, whispering gentle words.

"Shhh it's just me. You're having a bad dream. Go back to sleep,"

Santana's eyelids fluttered, but she didn't pull back into consciousness. The killer laid her on a wooden chair in the dining room and then grabbed a long scarf from the dining table and wound it around her hands, tied behind the back of the chair. Then they grabbed another and tied her legs to the chair legs. The killer continued this until Santana was fully strapped down.

When finished, they returned to the Main Hall.

"Rachel next," They said to the still room.

…

Finn yelled Blaine's name in pure frustration. He was terrified that he wouldn't catch him in time. What if Blaine ran right back and killed Rachel before Finn could do anything to stop him?

Finn _knew_ Blaine was the killer. He knew it.

He picked up speed, racing on ahead. He knew Puck was somewhere in front of him, be his own footsteps stopped him from hearing anything else. All he knew was he had to keep going downhill. He had to go down and down and down until he got back to the cabin and saved Rachel.

Finn was a little too enthusiastic though. His foot caught in a tree root and he went rolling down the hill. The leaf litter crunched and slid as he hands reached wildly for something to stop his fall. Nothing touched his outstretched fingers, so he tried to cover his head with his arms. Abruptly, he smacked into a tree, stopping his sudden fall.

Shaking, Finn stood, brushing off leaves. He was silent at last, listening to the forest.

His adrenaline rush seemed to fade. He just felt scared and alone and lost. He'd been trying for so long to be brave and tough and save everyone.

Blaine had gotten the best off him though.

Finn shook himself, trying to get past his injuries. He decided to ignore the bruises and aches and began to run again.

And as he ran, he started to cry.

…

Quinn dreams had seemed endless. She watched Puck climb across a spider web. She watched a strange creature with the heads of everyone in glee club crawl towards him, standing on all the non-sticky threads. Quinn cried out his name. She begged him to run.

Puck turned to her and smiled his most charming smile.

"It's okay Quinn, I know you love me." He said, turning back toward the glee club monster.

But suddenly the faces of the monster looked scared. They stared at Puck. Some started to cry. Puck looked back at Quinn, still beaming. He licked his lips.

"I know you trust me too, even if you won't say so." And then Puck leapt at the Glee Kids. He tore them apart before Quinn's eyes. She struggled, trying to reach out. She had to save them. But she was caught tight in the web.

The sticky threads held her down.

She couldn't move. She tried to open her mouth but nothing happened. The threads were tightening around her wrists. They were too tight. They were-

They were real.

Quinn realised that at some point she had woken up. Her eyes, which had been squeezed shut, flew open.

Sure enough her hands had been bound to the chair she was sitting in. Since when had she been in a chair?

Quinn struggled, and found her ankles and calves just as tightly wrapped into place. She opened her mouth to cry out, but found herself choking on a piece of fabric. Quinn's jaw worked, trying to spit it out, or push it out with her tongue. On top on the gag was a second strip of fabric to reinforce it, covering her chin as well. She tossed her head back, looking around.

Santana and Rachel were there. They were in chairs of their own, Santana tied in the middle.

Quinn shifted desperately, trying to make contact and wake them up. She tried to talk past her gag but she could only make faint noises that made no sense.

Someone had tied them up.

Something had gone wrong on the hill.

Quinn looked around the room, trying to spot someone. But the only light source was a lamp sitting on the dining table in front of them now, and beaming high power right into her eyes when she looked that way. She could tell they were tied against the wall opposite the doorway leading outside. But the lamp was in the way, so she couldn't see if the killer was hiding behind it by the door in the shadows, or wasn't in the room.

"Hshshhhhhhhh," Quinn yelled, getting as loud as she could behind the gag. "Gfffff!"

To her surprise, Santana stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and then widened.

Santana's head spun around as she took everything in.

"Huhuna," Quinn tried to say her friend's name, and though it made no sense, Santana turned to face her.

"Hnnnn," She said. "Whhhhhuh?"

Quinn shrugged as best she could and then looked around the room again. She felt better with Santana awake with her. She wished Rachel would wake up. It didn't feel right to have her asleep when she was in such danger, unable to do anything about it.

Santana was still taking everything in. When she finally understood what had happened, and taken account of the room the way Quinn had, she began to thrash.

Agony ripped through her leg and she gasped and then choked on her own gag. Quinn wanted more than anything to be able to say something. She wanted to comfort her. But the fabric was tight around her own mouth.

Suddenly the light was flipped downwards. Everything was in shadow except for a small patch on the table. A dark figure moved from the back of the room, behind the lamp, and shook Rachel violently until she woke with a start, attempting a scream that didn't come out.

The figure moved away and flipped the lamp up again.

Quinn and Santana had to listen to the frightened gasping as Rachel worked out where she was as well.

The killer gave them a minute of this. Then they spoke.

"Well, it's nice to have the three little pigs gathered here." Quinn almost choked on her gag in sheer shock. Santana whimpered, long and terrified. Rachel jerked backward and smacked her head on the wall. The voice was easy to recognise. It was one of the last voices they'd thought they would hear. "Sorry girls, as much as I'd love to hear you beg and question why, I actually gagged you because I'm sick of your voices. I'm sick of you taking centre stage."

The figure waited until they had finally lapsed into silence, and stopped struggling. Quinn and Rachel were crying noisily, breathing deeply through their noses with each sob. Santana sat utterly still, tears pouring down her cheeks.

The killer stepped slowly out into the light. The sight of them confirmed what everyone had guessed just by hearing the voice. In their elegant hands they held a gun. This one was sleek and silver. They twirled in absent-mindedly as they started to speak.

"Oh for years I've waited for this moment. You would not believe. I love to see you three so scared. Quinn Fabray, who considered he her dear little _innocent_ friend. We bonded quicker than you'd ever expected. Santana Lopez, who never thought she'd trust or like me, but became my 'Aunty Tana', protective to the extreme. And Ms Rachel Berry. This is one death I _really_ looked forward to. How does it feel now? How does it feel to see me taking the stage for once? I win this time, Rachel. _You lose_."

With a spin of the gun, the killer turned and faced them. The girls' eyes all traced the face they'd once regarded so fondly. The killer's bright eyes were now cold and full of malice. Their easy smile and adorable expressions had become cold and harsh. The killer walked to the wall and flicked the main light on. The room was flooded with brightness.

"I've wanted to watch your faces as I killed you for ages. I hope you'll have as much fun as I do. Now, where to begin? I've written out the Three Little Pigs already, so no order of killing is really necessary. I think I'll start with you, Miss Fabray." With a beautiful pivot, the killer swirled and raised the gun to point it directly at Quinn's head. "Now let me tell you why this is happening to you. That's always the fun part. Let me watch you react."

Quinn trembled. The barrel of the gun, backed by that face she'd thought of as comforting and sweet many a time. The killer didn't even look like their old self. It was as though the act of killing transformed them.

"You always thought of yourself as the prettiest girl in the scho-"

….

Blaine's feet hurt, but he no longer cared. He could see the house clearly now. The faint light of the lamp suddenly brightened, and Blaine faltered, confused. Then he picked up speed again. The girls must be awake. He hoped they'd been safe. He hoped there was no short cut either of the other guys might have taken.

Blaine raced down the track and leapt up the path toward the house. He was almost faint with relief as he grabbed the handle and twisted, flinging the door open and practically leaping into the room.

But then he froze.

And he stared.

The three girls were all tied in chairs. Rachel, Santana and Quinn, bound and gagged. But as Blaine's eyes swept over them, he saw something even worse. Something that made his blood run cold.

Someone stood above Quinn with a gun in their hands, pointing it at her head.

Blaine took in their tight pants over long legs that slipped into a thin waist. The jumper that hugged the flexible hips and broader chest must have been cashmere, if was so fine. The fairly muscular arms and delicate hands that held the gun were so familiar. And then the neck Blaine had been acquainted with many a time. And the face. The face Blaine saw in his dreams every night. The face he would never forget.

It was full of surprise right now, but it could be nothing compared to the surprise Blaine felt in that moment.

He heart sunk into his shoes. His mouth opened and one strangled word came out.

"_Kurt_?"


	32. Struggle

I know these chapters are all coming out pretty fast, but I'm really in a good place in terms of writing them quickly right now so I hope you don't mind. Here's a super short one showing the aftermath of Kurt's discovery. It broke my heart to write this.

* * *

"_Kurt?"_

Blaine gripped the doorframe as he took in the scene before him. Kurt's lovely blue eyes were huge as he stared at Blaine. He didn't seem like he could move. This at least, was not part of his plan. Shock was written right across his face.

It was nothing compared to the heart-breaking swoop in Blaine gut. Or the sheer terror that gripped Blaine's chest in that moment.

In two seconds Blaine's mind whirred through everything. He forced himself to understand.

First, and most importantly, Kurt was the killer.

That alone was hard to comprehend.

Second, he was holding a gun to Quinn's head.

This at least, Blaine could see right in front of him. This was the danger he had to get rid of. He would make that his focus, and go through his emotions later.

Third, if Blaine acted quickly he might save her.

And he had to save her.

But as Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes, he found he still couldn't move. Two seconds had felt like infinity. Kurt's beautiful shocked face suddenly darkened. His eyes blazed with fire. Blaine was even more frightened of him. And then abruptly, his expression changed again. His whole face softened into a pitiful, desperate sorrow.

Kurt's arm lowered. His held the gun loosely in his hands, the tips of his fingers brushed the barrel. His posture was limp and resigned.

And still no more than four seconds had gone by.

"Blaine?" Kurt said softly.

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut for half a second, gathering courage and then ripped them open, leaping forward with all his might. Kurt gasped as Blaine took hold of the gun with both hands. He tightened his own grip. Kurt's right hand was stuck under Blaine's, pulling at the gun. His left hand tried to pry Blaine's finger's loose as they tussled, but he gave up in seconds and yanked at the barrel of the gun instead.

Their bodies were pressed right up close. Blaine quickly realised there was a flaw in his plan. He hadn't been this close to Kurt in what felt like forever. And now that he was, even with a gun pressed between them, even struggling, Kurt felt the same as ever. His slender waist and strong arms were way too familiar to Blaine; the sound of his breath and the way he shifted his weight were as well.

Blaine let out a small whimper as Kurt pulled the gun down harder against his own stomach, forcing himself to lean in toward Blaine and making sure Blaine couldn't pull back without letting go of the gun. And then Kurt's chin was resting on Blaine's shoulder, his cheek touching Blaine's cheek. Blaine could barely think straight.

How was it possible he still had the same smell? How was it possible that the crook of his chin still fit perfectly over Blaine's shoulder? How was it possible that he was still perfect?

Blaine struggled to escape, but Kurt only pressed against him. His whole body was right up against Blaine's own. The only thing separating them was the gun crushed between them in their warring hands, and their clothes.

And then, if Blaine hadn't thought that was awful or soul-destroying enough, Kurt spoke.

"Blaine, _please_," The terrified whisper made Blaine want to scream. His instincts still pushed him to want to protect Kurt. When Kurt spoke like that everything inside him cried out to save the love of his life. How was he meant to resist if Kurt did this.

"Blaine I'm scared, I don't think you understand." Blaine wished he could shut his ears.

"Duuu eeeeeeehin tuh hieee."

Blaine could guess well enough what Quinn was trying to say. 'Don't listen to him,' was easier said than down however. Especially as Kurt turned his head and Blaine felt the brush of Kurt's lips against his ear. Shivers ran down his spine as he remembered what usually followed that. But this time it was different. Kurt was not his lover anymore.

Blaine tightened his grip on the gun and pulled. They almost toppled and as Blaine's feet stumbled out to catch himself, the gun ended up tugged down to Kurt's right, no longer pressed between them. Kurt's body was all he felt against his own now, blocked only by his right arm, which was flush against Kurt's crotch, barely holding onto the gun and Kurt's thigh pressed against his hand, trying to make Blaine let go.

And Kurt still pulled at the gun. He had the upper hand, Blaine's could tell. Blaine's left arm was not as strong as Kurt's right, and his right hand was barely holding on as it was. He couldn't keep it up forever. If Kurt decided to lurch away and yank the gun around, Blaine would have to let himself fall over just to keep his grip on it.

"Blaine this isn't what it looks like." Kurt whispered again, his lips brushing against Blaine's ear once more. "You have to trust me."

Blaine shook his head violently, putting all his force behind bringing the gun closer. He shifted his weight, leaning back, and it was in between them again, back in the stronger grasp of his right hand.

"Blaine I thought you loved me," Was Kurt crying? Oh gosh it was so hard for Blaine to try not to care. "Blaine I still love you, please listen to me."

Blaine felt a droplet of water hit his shoulder and he realised it was a tear. Kurt was crying. He tried to back away from the horror of this idea and Kurt spun with him. Blaine was facing the door now, Kurt was facing the girls. Blaine felt a slight sense of panic that he could no longer see them.

"I need you to listen. This isn't what it looks like. Please, let me explain. Oh Blainers, please," And then Kurt pressed a kiss to his neck, just below his ear. Blaine whined again. He was so confused and Kurt was messing with his head. What did he mean 'this isn't what it looks like'? What else could it possibly be? Blaine couldn't let himself fall for Kurt's tricks. Kurt wasn't trust-worthy. He'd just been holding a gun to Quinn's head. A _gun._

"Blaine I trust you," Kurt murmured into his neck. That part of Blaine's body was on fire. He couldn't bare this. "I know you trust me too. B, please,"

Blaine kept his eyes shut. His jaw was clenched as he fought with his own will. He wished he could believe Kurt. He wished Kurt could be innocent. But all the evidence was stacked against him. Blaine couldn't let himself trust Kurt again just because it was easier.

Kurt kissed him again in the crook of his neck and then Blaine felt Kurt's eyelashes brush his cheek as Kurt's face moved around. Blaine pulled harder at the gun, but Kurt kept a steady grip. He leaned their foreheads together, and though Blaine tried to pull back, Kurt's tear filled eyes locked with his. It was even worse now that Blaine could _see_ him.

"Please understand that I'm not the one who did this." He said softly. "Please. I love you. I trust you, Blaine."

Kurt pulled back. Blaine took in his teary beautiful face.

And then Kurt let go of the gun.

Blaine almost fell backward with the sudden absence of force from Kurt. He righted himself and stared.

Kurt stood in front of him, with his eyes squeezed shut as if he were bracing himself for a blow… or a shot. Blaine looked down at the gun he now held. He looked back up at Kurt. Kurt's chest was heaving with laboured breaths. His cheeks were flushed. He still looked so vulnerable and scared.

_I trust you._ Kurt had said. And he clearly did, if he would drop the gun and give up sole control. Kurt could have won that tussle and taken the weapon from Blaine. He would have come out on top if he'd kept at it. If he was the killer, why would he let go of the gun?

Blaine was aware that the girls were getting very loud behind him, trying to shout things. But he wasn't really listening. He was watching Kurt with fascination. If Kurt was the killer he wouldn't have let go of the gun. That would have been totally stupid. So Kurt must be innocent. Innocent.

Blaine _loved_ Kurt. And he'd always trusted him. He didn't need to lose that. He didn't need to give that up. Because now he realised that Kurt _couldn't be_ the killer.

Blaine had been standing there a long time. Kurt eyes opened very slowly. He peeked nervously at Blaine through his lashes.

All the fight went out of Blaine's body. He smiled, face flooding with relief. Dropping the gun to the floor, Blaine threw himself at Kurt, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in Kurt's chest.

Kurt froze in shock for a moment, and then he relaxed into Blaine's embrace. Kurt's arms came up slowly to engulf Blaine as well.

"I thought you were dead." Blaine sobbed against Kurt's chest. "The I- I thought you were the killer. Oh Kurt I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," Kurt had a smile in his tone which made Blaine's hopes soar. "That's okay Blaine, I love you."

"I love you too," Blaine sniffled, still nuzzling closer. "I love you so much."

He could hear the girls yelling, and he knew they were scared. But all his could really focus on was how good it felt to have Kurt holding him again. Kurt's hand left his back and gently stroked the back of his head. Blaine pressed himself closer. He never wanted to let go.

…

The girls had frozen when Blaine burst in. They'd watched the gun battle full of fear. They'd tried to cry out encouragement to Blaine, but the gags had made that impossible. They watched as the boys moved and shifted and the gun was stuck between them, no one winning. And then they'd cried out desperately as Kurt began to talk to Blaine. They heard the gentle coaxing and panicked, thinking Blaine could never stand up to Kurt.

And then the unthinkable had happened and Kurt had dropped the gun.

Three hearts sunk as they realised that Blaine was about to give in. He could never come out on top when Kurt was involved. It was grossly unfair. No matter how much they kicked and yelled, Blaine still launched forward and wrapped himself into the killer's arms, sobbing with what could only be described as pure relief and joy.

And over Blaine's shoulder, Kurt's expression transformed. From the scared and reliant adorable Kurt that made you want to wrap him up and protect him, to a vindictive victorious killer.

Kurt smirked at the girls and encircled Blaine in his arms.

"It's okay," Kurt cooed to Blaine. You could hear the smirk in his voice, which he also filled with relief and love that was very contrary to his expression. "That's okay Blaine, I love you."

When Blaine responded with his own declaration of love, Kurt rolled his eyes.

Santana kicked out, trying to get free. She wanted to strangle him with her bare hands. She was so mad and frightened she could barely think straight. Rachel and Quinn looked like they were about to vomit at the sight of Blaine snuggled so contentedly in the killer's arms.

Slowly, mocking them, Kurt reached a hand up and stroked Blaine's hair.

And then, letting his fingers trail down Blaine's back, Kurt moved his hand slowly down to his waist. He pulled back the edge of his jumper and his fingers slipped down the side of his pants. Carefully, Kurt withdrew another gun.

There was an eruption of sound from the girls, but Blaine didn't even notice.

Kurt twirled the gun once in his hand, just to show off, and then he lifted it, the barrel pointed at the side of Blaine's head.

Slowly, the protests and warnings that the gags were muffling came to a stop as Kurt waited. Santana, Quinn and Rachel just watched in agony as Kurt murmured to Blaine while holding a gun to his head.

They would have to watch him die. There was nothing they could do and dear Blaine was too trusting to even realise the danger he was in. At least he would die happy. That was the only comfort they girls could find.

Kurt licked his lips and pressed a kiss to the top of Blaine's head. He shot the girls a wicked smile and-

The door burst open.

Kurt whirled around, torso twisting thought his feet remained planted, to face Puck as he froze in the doorway.

Kurt's hand dropped as Blaine turned with him, ensuring the other boy didn't see the gun. But Kurt still pointed it at Blaine's chest. Blaine tumbled slightly when they turned, catching Kurt's jumper in a fist to right himself. He still didn't see the gun that hung just below his line of sight. He curled closer to Kurt, and stared at Puck as well.

Blaine was stunned to see Puck had arrived so quickly. He'd thought he and Finn might have moved back when they'd realised that Blaine had reached the house. His heart was pounding as he clutched Kurt and pressed closer.

He realised he had no idea what was going on. He hadn't had time to discuss anything with Kurt. He hadn't had time to work anything out. He hadn't even had time to make sure that Puck and Finn were the killers, a question Kurt would know the answer to.

Puck took in the whole room in a second. His eyes roved over the girls, all tied up. Quinn was jerking her head toward Kurt as best she could with the gag in her mouth. Her eyes were wide and earnest. She was trying to tell him something.

Kurt had Blaine in his arms, and Blaine's sole focus seemed to be on Puck. He didn't even notice the barrel of the gun pressed lightly against his chest. Puck's eyes narrowed at the sight of it. Immediately he realised that Kurt must have faked his own death and later returned to kill again. And he also realised that Blaine was in grave danger. Likely Kurt had convinced him that he was innocent. But the vicious and angry sort of shock look on Kurt's face, as well as the gun in his hand, told Puck that he was _far _from innocent.

But Kurt was frozen in shock once again. He didn't seem to know exactly what to do. Puck watched his grip tighten on the gun. He was certainly calculating his choices.

Suddenly there was another loud crash and Finn slammed to a halt in the doorway beside Puck. For a moment, everyone stared at each other.

A long second of utter silence stretched as seven minds tried to find some course of action and work out what to do.

And then a gunshot rang out.

* * *

As always please review. I got some lovely reviews on the last chapter so thank you all!


	33. Victory?

Here's another chapter. We're getting really close to the end now. More manipulative Kurt for now, and a very distressed and confused Blaine. There's a song in this chapter, Barely Breathing, which was already done on Glee and suits this scenario perfectly.

* * *

The bullet tore from the barrel of the gun and soared through the air, hitting home; embedding itself in the pale flesh on the back of Kurt's hand.

Kurt screamed.

He toppled backward, feet stumbling out to brace his fall as his fingers unclenched of their own accord and the gun clattered to the floor. Blood splattered across the sleeve of Kurt's jumper and in droplets across the wood surrounding the dropped weapon.

At first Blaine turned with him, worry springing to his face at Kurt's ear splitting scream. But then he saw the gun as it fell from Kurt's fingers and hit the ground with a resounding clang. Blaine froze.

Kurt righted himself, flicking his head back as his looked up, clutching his bleeding hand to his chest. His fierce eyes locked on Puck, who stood in the doorway. Puck's arm was still outstretched. The gun he'd taken with him earlier was stiffly pointed at Kurt even though the shot had already been fired.

Kurt's eyes will filled with a mad rage that twisted his whole expression into a murderous monster. He was breathing heavily, blood seeping between the fingers of his left hand as it cradled his right. In that moment, he didn't just look mean, but for the first time, he really looked like a killer.

And then his expression melted into innocence once more. Kurt gasped.

"You shot me." His voice was pitiful and frightened. The air crackled with electricity. Kurt's eyes flickered around the room.

Puck still pointed the gun at him, looking confused and determined all at once. Blaine was just tearing his eyes away from the gun on the floor to look at Kurt. His face was full of desperation. For what, Kurt couldn't tell. And Finn still stood with his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Kurt?" Finn spoke for the first time since his arrival. His voice sounded as if he was being strangled. "_Kurt?"_

"It's me Finn," Kurt's expression lit with hope as he looked at Finn. "Your little brother,"

Puck's jaw clenched, his hold on the gun was making his knuckles turn white. Finn looked totally bewildered as he stared at Kurt.

"You're _alive_?" He asked. He looked as if he was about to cry.

"I'm alive," Kurt's face crumpled as well, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm alive, Finn."

Finn's dismayed gaze travelled to the gun on the floor and back again.

"You're the _killer_?" He asked at last.

Kurt's façade dropped for a split second, but the flash of annoyance quickly disappeared. He looked hurt.

"Finn, how could you think that? You _know _me." He looked utterly forlorn.

"I thought I did." Finn shook his head, disbelieving. "I thought I knew you."

His gaze travelled over Quinn, Santana and then _Rachel_; tied up. Finn didn't even seem to notice that he'd started to cry.

"I thought you were my brother! I thought you were dead. I _mourned _for you. I- I- I turned on _Blaine_ because of you." His hands fluttered as if he didn't know what to do with them, his posture was almost the exact same way it had been a couple of years ago when he'd called Kurt a fag in their basement. It was the same awkward fury trembling from his limbs as when he'd called Blaine the same thing just a few days ago. "And now I find you here, and you've tied up your best friends, you future _sister in law?"_

Kurt shook his head, tears spilling over in his eyes as well.

"No Finn, no I would never,"

Kurt looked the same as he had all that time ago as well. Kurt's tear-filled face reminded Finn of his hurt when the word 'fag' had slipped from Finn's lips. But this time Finn didn't feel ashamed for making that sort of expression appear on Kurt's face. Finn could see the blood on Kurt's hands. It felt like a metaphor for Kurt's guilt.

"I loved you like a _brother_, dude." Fin gulped in a breath. "I trusted you."

"Finn, don't cry," Puck seemed at a loss. He still pointed the gun at Kurt, but Finn's break down was distressing him, and he just didn't know what to do. Oddly, at the sound of those words, Finn suddenly straightened up.

"Right," He said. He was holding back his tears. "It's time for me to be a leader. I- fuck, Kurt, I won't let you break me. Look what you've done to Blaine."

Finn gestured at the boy he suddenly felt over-whelming sympathy for. Blaine was still staring at Kurt. Tears ran down his cheeks and he didn't even seem to notice. Kurt's beautiful blue eyes turned away from Finn and his eyebrows pulled up as he looked into Blaine's shining golden eyes. His whole body seemed to plead with Blaine. Blaine looked totally torn. He actually looked as if he was still working out if he should keep trusting Kurt or not. The sight of the boy he loved, looking so broken, was too much for him to resist, even when that same boy had a gun pointed at his chest mere seconds ago.

"Come on Puck let's tie him up." Finn was shaking, but he seemed determined. He glanced at Rachel as he said it, and she nodded, crying as well.

"W-wait," The word tumbled from Blaine's trembling lips. He looked his whole world was being ripped to shreds. "Wait guys,"

"Thank you Blaine," Kurt said, relief filling his voice. Blaine started shaking at the sound of his affectionate tone. "Thank you, I love you."

"Blaine you're crazy. He tried to _kill_ you." Puck said, voice gentle. There were loud sounds of agreement from all the girls.

"No. Kurt wouldn't. I- it's not-" Blaine stammered. Violent tremors rocked him as he reached out a hand toward Puck. "K-k-kurt's just-"

Puck looked a little lost at the sight of Blaine falling even further apart. But he steeled himself as he glanced over Blaine's shoulder as saw the fierce spark of victory hidden in Kurt's innocent face.

"I am so sorry about this." Puck said.

And then he leapt at Blaine and pinned him to the wall with his body. His right arm still pointed the gun at Kurt, stopping the boy from moving. Blaine didn't even try to fight back. He just let Puck spin him and hold him down.

"Please," He sobbed from behind Puck. "You can't do t-th-this."

"Finn! The Rope!" Puck yelled.

Finn stumbled forward and stared at Kurt for a second. Kurt had already forgotten Blaine, who was still begging as Puck let go of him, knowing he wasn't going to make a move and merely stood in his way while he kept the gun trained on Kurt. Blaine slumped against the wall, sobbing.

"Kurt, I'm sorry," He moaned. Kurt ignored him.

"You can't do this." He growled at Finn. But Puck scoffed and Kurt's eyes flickered to the gun.

"Sit down on the chair Kurt, and let your brother tie you up." Puck said. He sounded furious, but if you looked just a little closer you could see how much giving this order seemed to hurt him.

"You wouldn't shoot me." Kurt said, looked very sure of himself.

"I already have." Puck reminded him.

"In the heat of a fight, not now." Kurt insisted.

"I would definitely shoot you again, now _sit!"_ Puck commanded. Kurt still looked dubious, so he sighed. "I'm not kidding. I won't kill you; I- I admit I can't do that. But I will hurt you again."

Kurt smirked, seeming to accept that, and sat down in the seat behind him.

"Nothing left to lose anyway," Kurt said.

He held his head high, looking Finn right in the eye, his face still twisted into that smug expression. Finn couldn't meet his gaze, but he quickly pulled Kurt's arms behind his back and tied his wrists together. When he'd tightened the knot, Finn tugged to make sure it was secure, and Kurt winced.

"Careful of my hand, it's hurting quite badly right now, thanks to Noah over here." Kurt's tone was patronising, and Finn looked at Puck for guidance.

"Tie his legs down too, with the rest of the rope." Puck said.

Finn scrambled to do so. Soon Kurt was as secured the girls, though his mouth was still uncovered.

As soon as this was done, Puck practically threw the gun down on the dining table. He wiped his hands on his pants as if he wanted to rid himself of the memory of its cold metal weight.

Finn ran his hands through his hair as he backed off from Kurt again. Puck turned and pulled Blaine to his feet with the help of a steady hand. Blaine was still trembling, limbs vibrating with emotion.

"I'm sorry Kurt," Blaine said again.

"Come on Finn, we'll get the girl's free." Puck said, clapping hand to Blaine's shoulder before he moved to Santana's side and started pulling at the knots that had tightened as she thrashed to get free. Blaine just stood there are stared at the man who had been his soul mate.

Finn went to Rachel and pulled the gag right off her mouth first.

"Oh Finn, thank goodness," Rachel sobbed. And then she could say nothing more. She simply let her fear and anxiety take over as she wept and watched the man she loved most free her from the bounds her best friend had placed her in.

Puck freed Santana more quickly than Finn got Rachel loose, and as soon as her hands were untied she'd ripped off the gag and helped him with the other knots. She explained what Kurt had done before the boys' arrival. Blaine whimpered during certain parts of her story. Finn, Rachel, Quinn and Puck all listened intently, the girls nodding their agreement and Finn and Puck nodding grimly to show they understood. When they heard how Kurt had tricked Blaine into trusting him, they both swore. Kurt seemed proud, laughing at the more intense parts of Santana's story. This made Blaine flinch.

Santana finished the story and she ripped the last knot off her ankle and surged to her feet.

She wasted no time in pulling Blaine to her in a tight hug, with her body shielding him from Kurt's penetrating gaze.

"Don't you ever listen to him again, Blaine." She whispered fiercely. Blaine was still shaking badly. She traced smooth circles on his back. Blaine tried to say something, but it was incoherent for a while. Finally, he calmed down enough to speak properly.

"I love him." Blaine cried, desperate for her to understand.

"I know," Santana crooned, but Blaine wasn't finished.

"He said he loved me." Blaine looked around Santana and locked eyes with Kurt. He just couldn't bear the pain he was under. "You said you love me."

"Oh my god, I lied, okay?" Kurt scoffed. "You're so naïve."

Blaine curled closer to Santana. The very idea that Kurt didn't love him seemed hard for him to understand. He simply couldn't process it. But, staring into Kurt's hard eyes, he forced himself to understand.

"Break Blaine any more than you already have," Santana hissed. "And I will go _all _Lima Heights on your sorry ass."

"Not my fault he's completely easy to manipulate." Kurt said simply.

Santana turned and glared at him, eyes flashing.

"Leave. Him. Alone." Santana's burned with overwhelming rage, and then dropped to comforting sweetness in the space of a second. "Blaine, come over here."

She led Blaine over to the side of the room, away from Kurt, and sat him on the ground, stroking his hair back and beginning a steady stream of encouragements as Blaine kept crying. He gasped more air into his lungs as he thought it over again and again. Kurt was a killer. Kurt was a liar. Kurt had never loved him. Santana wrapped her arms around him and stroked circles on his back as he cried.

…

Finn finally got Rachel loose. He gathered her in his arms as well.

"It's okay," He said meaninglessly. "You'll be okay."

"I thought he was going to kill us! I thought he'd get _you_ next." Rachel said.

"He'll _never_ lay a hand on you again." Finn promised. Rachel's wet eyes met his and he smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." Rachel breathed, and then she tangled her fingers in his hair and kissed him deeply. When she pulled back, she glanced at Kurt again. He was still watching Blaine like a cat with a bowl of cream, smiling at he saw the result of his harsh words.

"I can't believe it." Rachel breathed. She caressed Finn's cheek as tears spilled from his eyes once more. "Honey, don't cry."

"It's so hard to understand that he was never our friend. He was always a killer." Finn sounded broken.

"At least we have each oth-" Finn pressed a kiss to her lips before she'd even finished the last word.

"I'm so happy I have you." He agreed.

Then Finn's face fell.

"But Blaine has no one, and same with Santana." Finn sighed. "I can't believe I turned on them."

"It's _not_ your fault. He tricked us. He fooled all of us." Rachel said softly.

"I love you," Finn reaffirmed. It felt like he could never say it enough. "You always know just what to say."

Rachel laughed, and then kissed him again.

…

Puck worked away the last of Quinn bonds. He pulled her right off her seat where she knelt in front of him, and clasped his hands in hers. She leant her forehead on his, and they sat like that, cross-eyed as they stared deeply at each other.

"I love you too." Quinn said. "I'm sorry I didn't answer before. I love you."

"I love _you_." Puck chuckled, giving her a quick kiss. Quinn laughed breathlessly.

"You were so brave, Puck. You did so well. I'm so _proud_ of you." Quinn said. Her whole face was illuminated with hope. "You did it. We got him. He can never hurt us again."

Puck finally gave in and kissed her more passionately. His hands cradled her face as they pulled apart, Quinn breathless. But sadness filled Puck's face as he turned away, looking past Rachel and Finn, still locked in each other's arms, past Kurt, staring stonily around the room, to Santana and Blaine. The two who had lost the most were clinging to each other and sobbing.

"I think he still has the power to cause a lot more pain." Puck said ruefully.

Quinn face fell as she followed his gaze. Her happy bubble, created by Kurt's capture and the after-math of the adrenaline that had come pounding through her veins, suddenly burst.

"Oh," She whispered.

"We'll sort things out. We're family, and that will never change." Rachel's voice startled them, she had pulled back from Finn, who was still staring at her with stars in his eyes. "And Kurt has only made us stronger."

"Oh maybe I made your bonds closer, but none of you are stronger. Look how hurt and broken you all are." Kurt interrupted. "That's something you'll never recover from. _Especially_ you, Blaine."

Kurt smiled softly as Blaine looked him in the eye again.

"You'll _never_ stop loving me Blaine." He said slowly. "No matter how hard you try."

Blaine's face filled with pain again. He hid his misery in Santana's side, and Kurt smirked again, very pleased with himself.

"Okay you need to get something through your twisted head real quick." Santana snapped. "Blaine is under _our_ protection and _you_ don't get to talk to him like that anymore."

"Just keeping it real, Santana, same way you always do. You see, Blaine's given me _everything_. He isn't just going to forget me. He isn't going to forget falling for me, he won't forget all the time he spent with me, he isn't going to forget everything that makes me the person he loved, and he certainly won't forgot moaning my name into the pillow all those late nights as he begged for me to give him more, to-"

"Shut up!" Santana yelled. Her ferocity caused Kurt to raise an eyebrow.

The room fell silent for a moment. Suddenly Rachel seemed to get an idea.

"Blaine?" She said gently. There was no answer from Blaine, who still sobbed into Santana's arms. Rachel pulled Finn in her wake as they crossed the room to join the pair by the wall. Quinn and Puck quickly followed. They sat in a semi-circle around Blaine, Rachel put a hand on his arm and he turned to look at her.

"Yeah?" He croaked.

"Do you want to sing about it?" Rachel asked. "That always helps me."

"Rachel I don't think now's the time-"

"Okay," Blaine sniffled, interrupting Quinn. "Okay yeah let's try it."

Rachel smiled encouragingly. Kurt scoffed again from his chair.

"I can't think what to sing," Blaine confessed, eyeing Kurt nervously. But his sorrowful brown eyes seemed to be giving way to something else. He was finally feeling anger. He was _angry_ with Kurt for stealing his life away. He was angry with himself because he still loved this vengeful killer in front of him. Blaine wanted to sing. He wanted to let all the pain spill out.

"I know just the song," Santana said suddenly. "You follow my lead, angel."

And then taking a deep breath, Santana pulled Blaine to his feet and walked slowly toward Kurt.

"You really think _singing_ will help?" Kurt asked. He looked thoroughly amused. "You really are glee losers."

Santana merely cocked her head and folded her arms, starting the song.

"_I know what you're doing  
I see it all too clear  
I only taste the saline  
When I kiss away your tears"_

She reached forward as she sang, and mockingly swiped a thumb across Kurt's still damp cheeks. Because Blaine still seemed to be building up courage, Quinn and Rachel joined in on the next part, singing together as they joined Blaine and Santana, Rachel slipping a hand into his.

_"You really had me going  
Wishing on a star  
But the black holes that surround you  
Are heavier by far"_

Finally, Blaine joined them. He shook his head in self-mockery.

_"I believed in your confusion  
You were so completely torn  
It must have been that yesterday  
Was the day that I was born_

There's not much to examine  
There's nothing left to hide  
You really can't be serious  
If you have to ask me why  
I say goodbye

"

Everyone joined him again on the chorus. Kurt rolled his eyes as they gathered before him.

_"'Cause I am barely breathing  
And I can't find the air  
Don't know who I'm kidding  
Imagining you care_

And I could stand here waiting  
A fool for another day  
I don't suppose it's worth the price  
It's worth the price, the price  
That I would pay, yeah yeah, yeah

_And everyone keeps asking  
What's it all about?  
I used to be so certain  
Now I can't figure out"  
_  
The group cut off again as Blaine took the rest of the verse, kneeling in front of Kurt and taking Kurt's face in his hands, tenderness filling his face along with his grief.

"_What is this attraction?  
I only feel the pain  
There's nothing left to reason  
And only you to blame  
Will it ever change?"  
_

Santana and Rachel each placed a hand on his shoulder as he turned his face away from Kurt's familiar eyes. They sang with him as he straightened up.

_"'Cause I am barely breathing  
And I can't find the air  
I Don't know who I'm kidding  
Imagining you care_

And I could stand here waiting  
A fool for another day  
I don't suppose it's worth the price  
It's worth the price, the price  
That I would pay, yeah yeah, yeah

_But I'm thinking it over anyway  
I'm thinking it over anyway_

I've come to find  
I may never know  
Your changing mind  
Is it friend or foe?"

_"I rise above"_ The group sang.

"_or sink below"_ Blaine took the line by himself before everyone joined in again.  
_"Every time  
You come and go  
Please don't come and go_

'Cause I am barely breathing  
And I can't find the air  
Don't know who I'm kidding  
Imagining you care"

Rachel and Quinn each leaned back into the arms of their boyfriends. Santana stood a little way back from Blaine, allowing him to let his feelings out alone._  
_  
_"And I could stand here waiting  
A fool for another day  
But I don't suppose it's worth the price  
It's worth the price, the price  
That I would pay, yeah yeah, yeah  
But I'm thinking it over anyway  
I'm thinking it over anyway_

Well, I know what you're doing  
I see it all too clear"

The last wavering note tumbled from Blaine's lips, and he turned his back on Kurt. Blaine's friends surrounded him. They held on tightly until he stopped crying again.

…

"Well as lovely as that was," Kurt broke the silence only filled with quiet crying. "Some of those lyrics didn't really fit. You see, you say 'I know what you're doing' But I don't believe you've really fully grasped what I'm doing yet."

"Shut up," Santana growled again.

"You're all so predictable." Kurt laughed as the circle broke and they turned to look at him. Even while tied up, Kurt still seemed totally confident. "First, Blaine Anderson, broken and scared. He can't believe I betrayed him like this, and that song only served to remind him that he still wishes there had been some way to redeem me. He hates himself because he can't stop loving me. He feels like everything that could ever have gone wrong in his life has occurred."

Santana opened her mouth to attack Kurt again, but his next words made her pause.

"Santana Lopez, angry and irrational with grief. You don't want to think about how your little Kurtsie is hurting you, so you focus all your energy on protecting your friends. When I start hitting close to home, you lash out at me, because you're scared of how much your heart was broken from this whole experience."

"Don't," Quinn said softly, shaking her head.

"Ah yes, Quinn Fabray, the beautiful girl who did everything she could to keep her wits together and refused to consider any suspects. You wish in some ways you'd _never_ found out the truth of the killer's identity because this is causing you agony deep down in that icy little heart of yours. That wish only makes you feel guilty. You're trying to distract yourself in your love for these survivors, but you can never forget what you lost."

"Don't talk about Quinn that way." Puck's voice shook. Quinn had started to cry. But even though they wanted Kurt to stop, none of them really moved to make him, because they were transfixed in a horrible way, by how well he could read them all.

"Noah Puckerman, trying so hard to be brave and strong. Really you're just a scared little boy who wants to fix everything but feels overwhelmed by how impossible that all seems. And you really did like me, deep down. It shocks you how much you adored me after all. It shocks you how deeply you supported Blaine and me being together, and how hurt you are now I've betrayed him."

Puck wrapped an arm around Quinn and slowly he broke eye contact with Kurt, making the other boy smile almost madly.

"Rachel Berry, the terrified little girl who never truly understood how scary real life can be. The girl who adored her best friend, but over-looked him and betrayed him far too much. You blame yourself for this, don't you Rachel? And you look to Finn for comfort, but it's my face burned into your memory."

Rachel clasped Finn's hand tightly as Kurt turned to him.

"Last of all, Finn Hudson, the supposed leader who is currently hating himself for losing control and lashing out at everyone but the one guilty person. Finn, you really can't stop your instinct to protect me, and you still feel bad for tying me down even thinking it was the right thing to do. You can't stop imagining Burt's face when we get out of here. You're drowning in pain."

The Club was silent, staring at Kurt as he giggled.

"See, I know you all so well." Kurt said. "That's something that will never go away."

"But you're still trapped." Rachel managed to say. "You act like you've won, but you haven't! You'll never kill again."

"Oh I think I have time for one more murder." Kurt laughed at their confused faces.

"You can't kill anyone, you can hardly move." Quinn pointed out.

"That's what you think," Kurt's maddening smile remained fixed on his face.

* * *

Please keep reviewing. We're nearing the end!


	34. Fictional

We're really nearing the end. I think we have one or two more chapters before our two closing chapters. Enjoy!

* * *

Though everyone demanded that Kurt tell them what he meant, he simply stated that he had 'nothing left to lose and 'no reason to confess anything' and stayed smugly silent. Eventually, they gave up questioning him and went to sit comfortably in the Main Hall, carrying Kurt's chair in with them just in case he managed to escape the bonds.

They talked quietly about everything that had happened, curling up under blankets.

"Look Blaine, I've got to say I'm sorry." Finn said suddenly. Blaine looked startled.

"Oh, no that's okay Finn." He said.

"It's not." Finn pressed. "I jumped to conclusions and hurt you for no reason. What's more I got Puck to turn against you. And that's not okay."

"I would have done the same thing if I thought you were the killer." Blaine tried to comfort him. He was very aware of everyone watching them with fond and slightly baffled smiles.

"No you wouldn't have." Finn sighed, running his hands through his hair. "You were always respectful, even when you were terrified."

"That's still no reason for you to feel guilty." Blaine insisted.

Puck laughed suddenly, and the girls were no longer able to supress their own giggles. When Blaine and Finn turned to them with puzzled expressions, Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Just hug and be done with it." She chortled.

Finn laughed as well then, and pulled Blaine into a bear hug before clapping him on the shoulder and coughing awkwardly.

"Love you two." Rachel crooned, nestling into Finn's side as he sat back again. Blaine smiled shyly.

"Well that was sickening." Kurt sneered.

The air turned sour, but Santana determinedly avoided the change in mood by speaking in a loud bright tone over the top of Kurt.

"So Quinn and Puck, you finally got your act together I see." She smirked as she noticed Kurt's annoyance out of the corner of her eye.

Quinn blushed and run her fingers over the hand Puck had draped over her shoulders.

"_I_ finally opened my eyes to what was right in front of me." She laughed at herself.

"I knew you'd come around to it eventually." Puck planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Yeah, I figured you knew since you never gave up." Quinn titled her face up for a quick peck on the lips. Blaine and Santana exchanged a rueful glance. Blaine looked over at Kurt and his eyes pricked with tears again.

The quiet conversation turned to memories of Puck and Quinn back in their first year of Glee Club. Blaine kept watching Kurt as subtly as he could. He had noticed something odd in Kurt's demeanour. Something tweaked at the edge on his consciousness.

"Hey Santana," he whispered when she had finished laughing at the tale of Quinn and Puck 'baking' cupcakes and ending up covered in the ingredients. Santana tilted her head toward him subtly. She noticed Kurt's narrowed eyes as he watched them whisper, not able to hear a word they were saying. The lack of control obviously annoyed him to no end. The corner of Santana's mouth turned up in a smile at the idea that they were getting to him.

"Do you notice something… off? About Kurt?" He asked.

Santana's eyebrows flew up.

"Um, other than the fact that he killed all our friends?" She asked sarcastically. Blaine didn't laugh. He could tell that under her joking tone, she was very upset.

"I mean his whole look. The way he moves. It's not _Kurt_." He said.

Santana's face was filled with pity.

"I know honey, that's because he's an actor. He'd been lying this whole time, okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze. "His whole personality was just made up. He's never been the person we thought he was, of course he looks different."

Blaine's brow furrowed. He peered across at Kurt again. The boy glared back at him, and he felt himself blush.

"Yeah I know _that_ I just thought…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess,"

Santana became absorbed in the conversation again, and though Blaine joined her, his expression remained slightly distant the whole time. He would occasionally steal a glance at Kurt, who was still watching them with disdain.

For once no one seemed tired. They talked about anything and everything with light, lazy joy. They talked about their friends without agony, remembering the lives they had lead. Santana even managed to share a story about Brittany with only tear-filled eyes and sad, fond laughter. No one broke down again. They were propelled on by their joy at catching the killer.

When Blaine looked back at him after an hour had passed, he realised that even villains must get tired, because Kurt had fallen fast asleep.

Usually when Kurt slept, his forehead became smooth of wrinkles, his perfect full mouth moved slightly in his dreams, and whole body flowed with peace. But this time his brow remained furrowed, and he looked distasteful even in slumber. Blaine missed his old Kurt so much, but he had to realise that Kurt had only ever been a product of fiction.

"Kurt's asleep." He said aloud.

The kids turned and stared, realising Blaine was right.

"Wow I didn't think he'd leave his guard down." Quinn gasped.

"Well he does have 'nothing left to lose'." Finn's tone was mocking, his expression harsh and unforgiving.

"He's shivering." It was Blaine who noticed. Slowly, he stood and grabbed a spare blanket from the sofa behind their heads.

"Woah dude, this _Kurt_ we're talking about. You know, the crazy murderer." Puck protested.

"I know," Blaine looked a little ashamed, but he went to Kurt's side and laid the blanket over him, tucking it around him. "But I still care about him."

"Blaine," Rachel was full of sympathy.

"No it's okay, I understand how evil he is. I'll just never be able to hurt him." Blaine re-took his place between Santana and Rachel, snuggling back into the warmth. "I have to be honest with myself. I'll always care about him, even now that I despise him for what he did to us. He's still _him_ and I _can't_ hate him. I can't hate Kurt. Not after seeing what hate turned him into. He used to seem so pure, and now look at the corruption underneath. I think by showing him kindness, I'm making sure he'll never break me. I'll never lose myself to him."

Rachel threw her arms around him.

"You're amazing, Blaine." She told him. There were murmurs of affirmation all around.

"I think-" Blaine paused, considering. "I think Kurt feels like a fictional character to me now. I love him, and I always will. But really Kurt was just an actor, and his entire personality was made up. But I'm still in love with the lie. I'm in love with the person he pretended to be. So it's like being in love with the fictional character really. Though I hate the actor. I will always love _my_ Kurt."

"Literally the perfect explanation." Puck agreed.

They watched Kurt sleep for a while. Santana started talking about getting off the island and how long it might take. Because they were supposed to have a whole week more before the bus came to pick them up and realised something had gone wrong; possibly by finding the dead bodies of the old couple who had owned the island. Finn seemed a little distracted though. He was staring at Rachel instead. Suddenly, he kicked off his blankets and turned around, kneeling in front of her.

"Dude you're already engaged." Puck said as Finn took Rachel's hands in his.

"Rachel, I know we're already engaged." He said, echoing Puck's words without even glancing at him. "But I don't think I fully understood what that meant until now. Rachel, I want to marry you. I want to be with you forever. To protect you through thick and thin. I want to be your protector, and I want you to support me like you have now."

"Finn," Rachel looked startled.

"Marry me Rachel," Finn said eagerly. There were already had tears in Rachel's eyes as she reached out a hand and cupped his face.

"I want to go to New York with you, and I don't care what we do there so long as I'm by your side. I'll do anything for you. You can go to NYADA and I'll look after the apartment and work and have dinner ready when you get home. I'll do that for you." He kissed her palm.

"Finn, you can't do that. You've always been _too special_ to be doing nothing." Rachel said. "I'll wait for you in Lima, I'll help you until you find something to do."

"No, it's fine." Finn smiled. "I was thinking of joining the army, but I don't want to anymore. This has been enough of a battle for me. I don't mind being a house husband. It actually has nobility to me now. I'll get a small job I enjoy. Maybe I'll get Burt to help me open a shop in New York."

Rachel reached up to brush off her tears. "You really love me that much?"

"I love you with everything in me." Finn promised her.

"I love you too." Rachel said. "And that's why I won't let you do this. Okay, open a shop in New York if you want to. That sounds perfect. But wait a year. Stay in Lima with me, I'll defer my acceptance to NYADA until then. That way we can set up the shop properly, and wait until Blaine graduates, and everyone can come with us."

"Alright," Finn gave in to Rachel's pleading eyes and she beamed at him as he turned to Blaine. "Blaine do you want to do that?"

"Yes, if- if that's okay." He breathed.

"I'm coming too in that case." Santana quickly said. "I'll go to college for a year like Mum wants me to. I'll get some small qualifications. And then I'm coming to New York with all of you."

"This sounds like bliss." Finn said, turning back to Rachel. "What do you say?"

"Yes," Rachel gasped, dropping to her own knees and kissing him hungrily. "Yes."

"Okay time for us to go!" Quinn nudged Blaine to his feet as soon as their lips touched, and everyone followed her out to give Rachel and Finn some alone time.

…

"That was cute." Santana admitted, laughing. Her smile transformed into a wicked grin "This plan will actually work out. We can all live in New York together!"

"I agree," Quinn smirked. "I got into Yale, and I'm going to Yale, but we all need to stick together. So here's what I think. We'll wait in Lima for a year, or go to college or whatever. I'll go to Yale, Rachel and Finn can get married and get their funds together. Blaine can finish school. Puck can do his pool cleaning thing. Then you guys should all get an apartment in New York together the next year. I'll finish my degree, but I can visit you all the time. And after I've got my degree I'll move in too. We have to stick together."

"Yes!" Santana enthused. Even when Finn and Rachel get married, they could just move into an apartment next door. It'll be like _Friends_, you know, the tv show."

"Perfect," Blaine grinned. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"As soon as Finn and Rachel are done we've got to pinkie swear." Quinn teased, wiggling her little finger.

"Okay, but I'm coming to Yale with you." Puck said abruptly. Quinn's mouth dropped open.

"Don't be stupid Puck."

"I'm not. I can clean pools in the area and flat with you while you go to school. I can't stand being apart from you Quinn. Not after last night." His face was full of sincerity. Quinn smiled and ducked her head.

"You're crazy, but okay." She agreed.

Santana whooped, and then ran to the door, hammering on it before she swung it open.

"Come on, detach your lips and get in here. We're going to have some breakfast and we have a plan for the future."

Finn and Rachel pulled apart with a wet smack and a giggle. They came to join the others with star struck eyes and clasped hands.

"So," Santana said as they gathered bowls and filled them with cereal and milk. "What's going to happen is that when we get back we'll all spend one year getting sorted after we get back. I'll do some classes at Lima's little University and Quinn and Puck will go to Yale, though Puck won't be attending classes. Blaine will finish school, and you two can get your wedding planned and your lives sorted. Then the next year we'll all move to New York. Blaine and I will share an apartment, Finn and Rachel can live next door since they'll be married. When Quinn's done at Yale, her and Puck can move in with us as well, and I guess I'll have to buy some noise cancelling headphones. And we can live out our days in the city we all love."

She beamed and sat back, splashing a last bit of milk into her bowl before she looked up at them.

"What?" She didn't get where their soppy smiles had come from.

"That's the perfect plan!" Rachel said.

"Yeah it really is the perfect summary of my perfect plan." Quinn stuck out her tongue, but looked too content for her annoyed manner to be taken seriously.

"I was just making sure Flubber and Queen Berry _agreed_ with the plan." Santana shrugged.

"Well we do." Finn agreed, elated. "That's the life I've always wanted."

"Okay now we have to pinky promise." Blaine teased, holding out his hand.

His friends all leaned in and somehow managed to hook their little fingers together.

"We promise that after a year of getting out lives together, we will all move to New York and live as Santana described, like one big happy family." Puck summarised.

"And if we see other people and get married or anything like that, we'll always love each other and visit often." Quinn added.

They smiled widely and together they said it.

"I promise."

….

Kurt woke up to the rustling sounds as the Glee Club came back into the Hall and started digging around in their bags. He watched them through narrowed eyes as they withdrew toothbrushes and toothpaste

"Morning Kurt," Blaine's soft voice made him glare at the boy. Blaine still seemed really timid, but no longer terrified. That pissed him off to no end. Blaine was supposed to be terrified.

"Good morning." He spat in response.

Blaine just gave him a sad smile and followed Santana out the door to the bathrooms.

"Guess you don't have a hold on Blaine anymore." Puck's voice surprised him.

"Oh I have a _hold_ on Blaine" Kurt protested, turning his death stare on his former friend.

"Not anymore." Quinn said from beside Puck, her own smirk matching Kurt's changing expression.

"That's what you think." Kurt declared.

"Funny, that's the second time you've said that, but I don't see any evidence that what we think isn't true. I think you're bluffing." Quinn looped her arm through Puck's and leaned contentedly against his side, knowing the show of affection would disgust Kurt.

"He's still broken-hearted that I betrayed him. That's enough of a hold. He'll never get over that." Kurt said.

"Oh sure we know that. He'll never forget you. But he knows now that _his_ Kurt was never real. He said it's like loving a fictional character. He knows you're just an actor." Puck explained. To his surprise, a panicked look flew across Kurt's face before he quickly composed himself. It happened so fast he might have thought he imagined it, if Quinn hadn't shot him a confused glance that meant she had spotted it too.

"He said those exact words? He said I was just an actor?" Kurt asked carefully. His expression was guarded.

"Yeah, and he said he'd always be in love with the person you pretended to be. But he hates you. He hates what you are now. But his loyalty to that lie means he'll never be mean to you. He'll take care of you for the sake of his Kurt, for the fictional character he still loves." Quinn watched Kurt's reaction carefully. There was a small moment of what might have been relief in the way he breathed out.

"He said that too? He said that the old Kurt was entirely false, made up by me?" Kurt asked.

"Yup," Puck grinned, thinking he was getting the better of Kurt. He felt like Kurt was finally understanding that Blaine was still going to have a good life, even after the torture of his first love. It made Puck cocky.

"He may _say_ that." Kurt said. "But he's just making sure none of you worry about him. It still kills him that I betrayed him. He'll never be able to love again. I was his soulmate. He won't forget that."

"But _that person_ was never real. His 'soulmate' wasn't real. He doesn't _need _you anymore." Quinn was getting exasperated with Kurt by now.

"No, he was the one bluffing." Kurt was as confident as ever now. "He's in love with me. As soon as I get back into character, he'll be falling apart again. Every time he sees a glimpse of that Kurt, it's a stab in the heart for him. He knows I'm the killer now. But he still loves me. And Blaine has a huge guilt complex. He'll be blaming himself, deep down. And I know just how to make him feel more guilty. He's accepted that he won't be able to stop loving me. That's why he seems happy now. He seems happy because he's decided that he can't change things. He plans to send me off to jail, and live his life with bittersweet memories. But he knows, and you and I know, that he'll be scarred forever."

Then more he said, the more uncomfortable they looked. They realised that Kurt was right.

"And Blaine will be able to 'move on', because he knows that in jail I'll be punished without being harmed. _That's_ what he cares about. He still loves me. He might even visit me in jail in the hopes of getting a glimpse of _his_ Kurt. Won't that be hilarious? He'll spend his whole life looking for his Kurt in everyone he meets. You'll all miss me as much as everyone I killed. But he'll never find the whole of his Kurt. Never again." Kurt grinned. Quinn and Puck both tightened the grip around their clasped hands. They couldn't stand it, but they knew Kurt had the whole situation correctly interpreted.

"You're crazy." Puck said anyway.

"Finally, something we can agree on." Kurt gave them a toothy smile and then flicked his eyes back towards the door that the others had left out of. "And you two both know how Blaine feels, because you feel the same way. To a lesser extent, but still."

"We don't feel that way." Quinn protested. It was way too obvious that she was lying.

"Well as lovely as this is, I think I hear someone coming to find you. You'd better go. Don't forget that I wuv you too." He voice was dripping in sarcasm as he watched Puck gently lead Quinn to the door.

As they shut the door they heard Kurt's laughter ring out behind them.

…

"I was just coming to find you." Rachel had her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth as she approached down the hallway. "What's wrong?"

"Just Kurt being a dick." Puck said.

"Don't listen to him." Rachel reassured them. "It's not like he can do anything now."

"We know. It's just that, he's so good at reading us all." Quinn sighed. "It creeps me out."

"What did he say now?" Rachel asked, curious despite herself.

"He was just saying that Blaine will never get over him. That sort of stuff. We told him that Blaine realises he's an actor now, but he said…" Quinn exchanged a worried glance with Puck. They knew how close Rachel was to Kurt. Quinn wasn't sure if she should tell Rachel. She didn't want to make her feel worse.

They had reached the bathroom by this stage, and they could hear voices inside. Rachel leaned on the door.

"Tell me, and then we can go in." She demanded.

"He just told us all this crap about how we'd look for parts of him in everyone we'd meet and how we still didn't want any harm to come to him. He said we'd always love the other Kurt and we'd miss him as much as we'll miss everyone he killed." Puck summarised.

Rachel looked between them and sighed.

"Well I guess he's right then." She said. Her voice was small, and Quinn quickly reached for her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay to feel that way, Rachel." She said. "It's only human. And unlike Kurt, we still have each other. We win in the end."

"No one wins this." Rachel said, leaning close. "We lost so many people."

"They had happy lives. Despite all the bullying at school, they still had us - a family - before they died." Quinn said. Then she laughed softly. "Look what you're turning me into Rachel. This sounds so cheesy."

"It's good to be a little cheesy." Rachel sniffled. Quinn realised she was crying. Puck stroked back Rachel's hair over Quinn's shoulder so they could see her face, smiling fondly.

"Don't worry Rachel, we're getting out of here." Puck said.

"Kurt said he was going to kill again." Rachel's brown eyes flickered between Quinn and Puck. "What if he succeeds?"

"I don't see how he can." Quinn swore, pulling back and opening the bathroom door. "C'mon we'll be okay."

Rachel and Puck followed her in. Finn, Blaine and Santana were laughing about something, and the sight warmed Rachel's heart. Maybe Quinn was right. Maybe Kurt really couldn't do anything else.

"Kurt looked pretty desperate when we told him Blaine was doing okay." Puck said in an undertone to Quinn, pulling her back toward him as he shut the door. Unfortunately for him, the room went silent at that exact moment, and everyone turned to him. Blaine looked especially curious to hear what he was talking about.

They were all quiet a long time. Puck blushed despite himself.

"Of course he's desperate." Blaine laughed nervously, looking around. "He's captured and he can't control any of us anymore."

"That's what I'm saying." Puck decided he may as well speak to the whole room. "I think we actually have the upper hand. We can last a week with Kurt tied there. We'll feed him and- and take him to the bathroom while making sure he can't escape. He can sleep in the chair. And at the end of the week we'll be rescued. Kurt will go to jail where he belongs, and we can live our lives. He's _desperate_ because he realises that."

There was a spark of something else in Blaine's eyes. It was more than just curiosity.

"Puck what did you tell him right before he looked all desperate?" Blaine asked slowly. Everyone looked a little confused. The relaxed atmosphere seemed suddenly filled with the excitement radiating from Blaine.

"Puck, what did you say?" Blaine asked again, rocking forward on the balls of his feet.

"Um,"

Puck seemed a little put off, so Quinn answered for him, "Just that you knew he was an actor now, and you-"

"Exactly that?" Blaine asked. "That I knew he was an actor?"

"Yes," Quinn was baffled as Blaine grinned wildly, and flung his toothbrush under the tap, washing it off.

"Okay I have a plan." He laughed slightly. "It might not be accurate but it's worth a try, if you'll help me."

"Of course we will." Santana said, pulling herself up and perching on the edge of the counter. "What is it?"

"First, you'll have to let me talk to Kurt alone. Just to make sure-"

"No way!" Finn and Puck said at the same time, but Santana held up a hand and shot them a glare. She nodded at Blaine to continue.

He took a deep breath, and told them what he thought.

…

Kurt was furious to hear laughter from the bathroom. He needed to keep his power here. If proving to them that they wouldn't get over him wasn't enough, he needed another thing to make them grieve.

There was his secret, the one only Artie knew. And oh it had been fun to torment Artie with the idea before he'd killed him. But Kurt wasn't willing to let that secret go just yet. He still wanted to put the Glee Kids through agony in other ways first. He had plans to remind them of how they used to love him. He had plans to press all their buttons and make them feel the need to protect him. He needed them to stay confused.

The laughter ended and Kurt strained his ears, but of course he couldn't hear anything. He huffed to himself. He hated not knowing what they were doing. He had to make a decision.

He would wait a few days. If he didn't find a way to emotionally scar them any further in those days, then he would reveal his secret and a whole new kind of agony.

Kurt nodded to himself. It was the only way.

So he turned towards the shelf that he could see from where he sat, and smiled smugly.

* * *

What do you think Blaine's planning? And what about Kurt? What's his secret? And who does he want to kill? Please review I'd love to hear what you think!


	35. Trick

I'm aware that this chapter might not be liked very much, and I'm sorry if anyone doesn't like the direction the story takes from here, but it was planned like this from the start so that's what I'm doing. Please give me feedback either way!

Anyway sorry for the delay in posting as well, now read on!

* * *

The glee club had gone through to the dining room. Kurt waited in annoyance, tapping his fingers with what little movement he had while strapped tightly to his chair. At least it was _fairly_ comfortable, he thought, shifting his weight back to stop crushing his tailbone. They had moved him to an armchair and he found himself smirking in delight at the way they still tried to care for him.

Suddenly, the door opened and Kurt turned to see a familiar gelled head as the timid boy shut the door behind himself and turned to face him.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked quietly. It seemed he had snuck away. Kurt watched the way that Blaine's eyes flickered to the door nervously before he approached. It seemed like Blaine wasn't supposed to be there. The smirk grew on Kurt's face. Blaine just couldn't keep away, could he?

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shuffled uncomfortably, watching Kurt with those big brown eyes. Then he pulled an armchair closer to where Kurt was tied up and perched on the edge.

"Can I… can I talk to you?" Blaine asked. He nibbled on his lip as he waited for Kurt's reaction.

Kurt forced his face to soften, as if he felt fondness for the boy in front of him. He had to draw things out another two days before he revealed himself, and he figured that a great way to begin things would be confusing Blaine even more. He wanted to pretend he felt love for Blaine after everything. That would leave him hanging on to his pathetic 'love' even longer. And especially after Kurt's denial of this love yesterday, Blaine would be left baffled and desperately confused.

"Of course," His voice was full of tenderness, and Blaine visibly gulped.

"I wanted to know," Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and Kurt was very satisfied to see tears welling up. Blaine took a deep breath before he continued. "Did it _all_ mean nothing to you?"

"What?" Kurt asked, cocking his head to one side. Blaine reached up and swiped at his tears, seeming angry with himself.

"Everything we did. Our love. And that- that night. The first time we ever…" He broke off again, his whole face full of pain. "Did you even care about me?"

"The first time?" Kurt asked. He smiled to himself, making sure he seemed to be savouring some far off memory. He watched as Blaine shifted forward. He looked hopeful, and Kurt felt the same rush of excitement he always got from manipulating people.

"It was the best moment of my life." Blaine confessed. "Things have never felt more _right_ for me."

"I know what you mean." Kurt said. He glanced down and with great difficulty brought feelings of embarrassment to mind until he forced a blush into his cheeks. That had been a skill that had taken a long time to learn.

"So you weren't lying?" The pure childish amazement in Blaine's voice made it hard for Kurt not to laugh. He knew Blaine was _dumb_, yet this was a whole new level of stupid. He'd never met anyone so desperately in love that they would still find such joy in a comment like that from a murderer.

But what Kurt didn't realise was that Blaine was acting as convincingly as he was in that moment.

What Kurt didn't realise was that the other five glee kids were crowded around the door, listening intently to every word. He didn't know that they were waiting for their new plan to play out, completely prepared to intervene if Blaine did go off track.

For once, Kurt was not on top of things, and he didn't know he was being tricked.

"Not about you Blaine. With you, I never had any doubts." He made sure it sounded very hard for him to say. He wanted Blaine to think he was opening his heart to him. His turned his blue eyes up and looked into his opponent's face.

Blaine found it hard to remember that he had a job to do. When Kurt looked at him like that… Why did Kurt have to be so convincing? With those eyes and those _lips._ He quickly turned his gaze to the floor. He knew Kurt would interpret it as sudden shyness. And it let him keep it together and stay on track. Kurt was _lying_. Blaine knew that. He had to make sure he never forgot.

So he got ready for his next line, delivering it with purpose, hoping it would work and his theory would prove correct.

"I know you always said you wanted it to be romantic. You know, our first time. And I know it ended up being more spontaneous. But I thought you still loved it. I thought you still loved me." Blaine's breath caught in his throat. This was the moment. This was the point where his theory would prove either true or false. He had to physically force himself not to glance toward the door where his friends were listening as he began to say the words they had all planned. He needed to say them with such conviction that the boy across from him wouldn't even question it. "Now I've been doubting that."

"No," Kurt's voice was comforting. "Of course it was special to me."

"Even though we just did it in the carpark outside Scandals?" And there it was. The lie. Blaine had begun the test.

And it appeared it was working, because Kurt didn't even question what he said. Blaine continued.

"You were so angry that I'd been drinking at first. When you gave in and agreed to have sex with me, I was so happy. Kurt I hope _you_ were happy. I know it wasn't a dewy meadow or anything crazily romantic like you wanted, but I think the time was right. And you were _perfect_." Blaine said. His warping of the facts passed perfectly from his lips. Swapping the location and date of their first time to the incident that had occurred a few nights before had been the only way Blaine could think of easily worming an obvious but believable falsehood into the conversation. He managed to say it all with the same hopeful, puppy-dog expression. He didn't bat an eyelid. And…

Nor did Kurt.

"Just being with you made it special." Kurt reassured him. He swallowed the lie and went with it. Just as Blaine had expected. He didn't even notice that the story was totally different from what had really happened.

"I really hoped you'd still think that." Blaine murmured. "I still love you Kurt."

He leaned forward and knelt in front of him. Because now this was all very _very_ suspicious. Now Blaine was almost certain his theories were true. He needed to add one more thing. Something that the real Kurt would laugh in disbelief at. Holding Kurt's tied hands he gazed into his eyes.

"Even though you spent the whole night dancing with Sebastian," Blaine said. "I knew you still wanted me. Even when you two were grinding and looking all flirty. When you came back to dance with me, I knew you still loved me."

"Of course I did Blaine. Sebastian never meant anything to me." Kurt said, smiling fondly at the boy kneeling before him.

Blaine rose, hiding a victorious yet panicked smile because he was a little frightened of the truth now that he had it. Leaning forward he planted a soft kiss to the top of Kurt's head. Kurt really was a good actor. Or he would he been, if he had known the facts. He might have fooled Blaine if he hadn't messed up his memories of such an important moment. Even a liar and a killer wouldn't forget their first time, or the jealously they felt over Sebastian, and Blaine's guilt when he realised how he'd hurt his boyfriend. Even a murderer wouldn't forget that Sebastian had been all over _Blaine _and not Kurt. And that could only mean one thing.

This person in front of him wasn't Kurt.

Blaine pulled back again. He noticed "Kurt" hiding a wince as his lips brushed the top of his head. Blaine kept his face hovering right up close, and then, in a flash, he let all pretence fade away.

"_Thanks_ for that." Suddenly his voice was harsh and ripped from his throat like a curse.

Kurt's eyes widened and _now_ he flinched. Blaine's face was filled with pure rage.

In fact, Kurt was suddenly afraid of being hit. There was something foreign and furious and desperate in Blaine's eyes. He'd never seen Blaine so angry. All his grief and pain was boiling to the surface. His eyes flashed as he shouted, not caring that Kurt was practically deafened.

"Guys, come in!" He called.

The door flew open and the other five poured into the room. Santana quickly grabbed Blaine and pulled him out of Kurt's face. Blaine was trembling with rage as he let himself be pushed back to sit on his chair. Everyone drew up chairs of their own while Blaine glowered at Kurt.

Kurt floundered for a while. A series of expressions danced across his face until he finally settled for looking disdainful. Blaine could still see his panic in the way he fidgeted. A movement that was _nothing_ like Kurt. How had he missed it?

"What have you done with him?" Blaine blurted out as soon as everyone had sat down. They shot glances at him, but he was solely focused on Kurt.

"Blaine, hon you have to calm down." Rachel whispered, laying a hand on his arm.

Blaine stared down at it as if he was going to shake it off. But then he sighed and the fight lessened in his tense muscles. However, he still trembled with emotion and his eyes still spat fire as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, practically scorching Kurt with his gaze.

"Let me do this." Santana perched on the surface created by the arms of Blaine and Quinn's chairs. "Alright little bitch, first I want to know your real name."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kurt said without missing a beat. They might have believed him too, but Blaine had made sure he explained everything to them beforehand.

"Okay first, yeah you do, and second, don't even try that. It's pathetic and it's not helping you." Puck looked disgusted. Kurt's eyes flickered between them.

"I have no idea what made you think whatever you're thinking but-"

"Oh please," Rachel interrupted as Blaine let out a snort.

"Our first time wasn't in a car park outside a gay bar." Blaine shook his head, eyes still regarding the boy in front of him with hatred. "I- I wanted it to be when I was drunk and _stupid_. But Kurt - _my_ Kurt–reminded me it was supposed to be special. He refused and I regret _ever_ trying to do it there. Kurt was right. And because of him, our first time was _special._ It was at my house with the fire going. It was relaxed and beautiful and romantic. It was perfect. But _you_ obviously don't know any of that, because you weren't there."

Kurt actually gulped. But he remained outwardly calm as he looked around the group, mind whirling. He considered the whole situation. The all looked furious. If he denied the accusations, they'd only get angrier. And there was no point in that happening. In fact, he had been ready to spill his secret anyway. He'd hoped to torture them with his stolen identity for a bit longer, of course. But Blaine had pretty much made him confess that he had no memories of their time together, because he _wasn't_ Kurt. So he had no way of using the old plan against them. He had his last secret though. Maybe it was better to tell them and hold this new threat over their heads.

"Go on." Santana said again. "Tell us who you are."

"Well I'm not Kurt Hummel." There were hisses of annoyance and fury at the confirmation of what they'd already guessed. Kurt didn't bother holding back his laugh at that. But then Santana leaned forward, eyebrows raised and looking violent, so he continued.

"My name," He paused, for dramatic effect. It was nice to see Finn's jaw clench in annoyance at the wait. His eyes flickered over them again, and then he took a deep breathe. "Is Al,"

"Al? That's not even a proper bad-guy name." Finn sounded almost disappointed, and _Al_- not Kurt after all- but Al, rolled his eyes.

"What were you expecting?" He asked, "Voldemort?"

"You're not funny, shut up." Puck snapped. Al made an over the top "scared" face in mockery and Puck's face blazed with fire.

"Not the point." Blaine's voice was shaking as well now. He seemed consumed by something desperate. "What did you do with him?"

"Who?" Al asked, feigning innocence just to piss them off. "Do you mean Sam or something? Because I already killed him. It was quite fun to-"

"_Shut_ the _fuck_ up!" Rachel was more aggressive than she'd ever been, but her cheeks were already streaming with tears.

"Ooh someone seems a bit-"

"What did you do with him?" Quinn interrupted Al before he could go any further. He was surprised to find that her voice was completely steady. But when he looked at her he could see it was because she'd turned to ice. Her expression was cold and her face a stiff mask. Her eyes glistened with feeling but the rest of her had been drawn in. She was entirely focused on him. "Where's Kurt?"

"Oh honey I don't think you _want_ to know the answer to that question." Al smirked.

He was finding it fascinating to see their different reactions. Santana's clenched fists and scarcely effective efforts to stop herself lashing out were the mirror of Puck's, though she was crying while his anger seemed to have stopped every other emotion. Finn was shifting desperately in his seat. His confusion, pain and anger were rippling across his face in such quick secession it seemed he couldn't hold whatever he was feeling. There was something claiming his attention. Something was making him think harder than he ever had before. Rachel was pretty much sobbing, but her huge tragic eyes burned with the inner rage that had made her lash out. Her small frame was drawn up to her full height, which contrasted to the way Blaine was still folded into his chair, shuddering as he stared holes in Al's head with his fury. Tears made his face damp and never stopped their flow, but he seemed solely focused on his desperate mission to know what had happened to Kurt. And then there was Quinn, completely still, a statute of cold rage that made Al think of some evil Winter Queen.

He chuckled as they began to babble a series of different responses to oppose his question. He waited until they'd stopped before he yawned deliberately and then shifted his weight.

"It's a little uncomfortable here. Maybe you could loosen these ties so I can relax a little. I have a long story to tell."

"Don't try to bargain with us. I don't mind bringing the gun out if you need persuading." Puck quipped right away.

"Oh but you won't kill me." Al shrugged.

"We already discussed this. And you know I'll shoot you so it hurts you _real_ bad." Puck countered.

"While I admire your new keenness to inflict pain, I doubt you would. But don't worry," He quickly said as both Puck and Quinn opened their mouths at the exact same time to argue back. "I plan on telling you everything. I'm sure you'll love my story."

"Hurry up." Blaine whined. He blushed a little at how needy it sounded, but he didn't break eye-contact with Al.

"How do you even look like him?" Finn asked suddenly. And now Al realised what had been puzzling him so much. "Are you his twin or something? Because Kurt doesn't _have _a twin."

"Well I thought Finn was the dumbest one here, but he was the only one to even think of that problem? You all thought a Kurt look-alike just popped out of nowhere?" Al asked, astounded. "You guys really are dumb."

"_Enough_ with the insults," Santana flicked her hair back, trying to look unbothered. "Just tell us okay?"

"Where to begin," Al considered, leaning his head against the back of the chair as if he needed to think on the matter.

"Hurry up. Start by telling us why you're- why you look like Kurt." Quinn said. And when Al paused again, she actually growled. It took them a moment to realise the sound had even come from her, because her expression remained neutral.

"Okay fine prissy bitch, calm down before you ruffle your feathers too much. I look like Kurt because, as Finn so brilliantly deduced, I am his twin brother."

"Kurt doesn't have a twin." Santana barked, angry at the suggestion that this monster shared a bloodline with her boy Kurt.

"Yes he does. And I don't expect you to know." Al added when Santana only seemed more furious. "It's not like Kurt knew he had a twin either. Well… until I attacked him..."

He smiled at some joyful memory and an even more violent shudder ripped through Blaine. "What do you mean?" further tears pricked the corners of his eyes and his voice caught in his throat.

"Now, now, Blainers-"

"Don't call me that-" Blaine interrupted vehemently.

"We're talking about my backstory now. Kurt comes later. You'll have to wait." He continued as if Blaine hadn't even spoken again. "It's not like _he_ matters. I was just explaining how it came to be that Kurt has a twin no one knows about. Did you not _want_ me to tell you?"

He gave them a beat to protest, and then spoke again as Santana curled an arm around Blaine and tried to quell his constant trembles.

"Well on the lovely night of the 27th of May, Elizabeth Hummel gave birth to two beautiful baby boys; The little _weak_ one that curled against her and slept, and the bigger one that even then looked at the world with intelligent eyes. Burt, her loving husband, held both his boys, kissed each of them in turn, Elizabeth doing the same, and then giving the babies to the nurse.

"See, the Hummels had a problem. Their tire shop was just starting out and they _barely_ had enough funds for one baby. They had already decided, months ago, that adoption was the right choice for one of their children. One would stay with them, and one would be sent off to a new home.  
So a few minutes later a well-off couple who _tragically_ couldn't have their own children came in to the room. The woman had known Elizabeth in High School. They shook hands with Burt and Elizabeth and they signed the adoption papers. It was to be a clean break. The baby would never know his real parents, because Burt and Elizabeth hated the idea that he might grow up thinking his parents valued money, or his little brother ahead of him. It was better that he thought his parents had passed away, loving him even in death. That was the plan. He was to be raised away from the family. They were to forget him and let him live his own life. His brother would never know of his existence, because it would only upset him. It was 'for the better'.

"And so the other couple left, and with them, they took their new son. Al Hummel was now Al Gunning. And that was that. It was supposed to be the end. Two happy children were supposed to be raised apart. And because the Hummels knew their other son would have a great life, they never had a single regret." There was bitterness in Al's voice was he recited his tale. His icy eyes met with each person regarding him and he finished with a bitter smile.

"Why _weren't_ you happy then?" Rachel asked, despite herself. The story sounded fine. It reminded her of her own past. And _she_ was happy with her Dads now. She understood that her mother given her up for her own good. She was okay with that. What had made it different for Al? How could it drive him to this _insanity?_

"You should have been happy. You should have been _satisfied_. They did it for your own good. How the fuck did you become such a psychopath?" Finn asked.

"Well if you'd let me finish…" Al sighed. "My adopted parents were _not_ the greatest. They were rich and they loved me. Two good points. But as soon as 'mommy' went back to work, I was alone with a nanny most days. Those would change frequently and I never liked any of them. My parents expected great things of me when they came home from work in the evenings anyway. They seemed more interested in praising how clever I was becoming than in getting to know me. Sometimes they took me out to dinner and their friends would gush over how 'good' they were for adopting a 'poor little orphan' like me. And when they put me to bed at night they would kiss me on the head and tell me how proud they were and how much they loved me. They _apologised_ for not being around enough. But they didn't try and fix that. You see, their jobs were both high paying. Apparently they were saving so I could go to college; paying off the huge house with the _huge_ garden so that I could have the perfect childhood home. It was the America Dream. But I despised them. When I started school, I studied people. I worked out how real families acted. I learnt about human behaviour. In the evening I sat down at the dinner table and pretended to be the perfect child with parents I barely knew. And because I knew I would escape one day, it all became bearable."

The club was silent for once. Mostly, they looked confused, because he sounded like he knew his parents loved him. And while they understood that it would have been hard to never see them, they didn't think it should drive anyone to _murder_.

"They did love me. Who can blame them? _I'm_ amazing; even though they weren't. I'm a genius. I'll be famous for it one day. And they need to pay for neglecting me. They need to learn how they should have treated me. That's why I left them." He licked his dry lips and met eyes with Finn. It was a possessive and jealous look that crossed his features now. "Don't worry. I found better parents than the shit I was sent off with. It took me a while, but I found my birth father. I found my _true_ father. Burt and Carole could be the perfect family for me. I admit I was upset to find that Elizabeth had passed on, but it didn't take long to realise Carole is lovely as well."

"You can't have my Mom." Finn's voice shook as he noticed the greedy way Al spoke Carole's name. A childish urge to shove his chair to the floor overcame Finn. Carole was _his_ Mom and he wasn't sharing with anyone but Kurt.

"Oh Finn, I almost had your Mom. She would have cherished me; the lone survivor of the Island. And she would have liked me better than you anyway. You, with your try-hard enthusiasm and utter stupidity." He looked manic. Finn shook his head, stunned.

"You're nuts." He said. When Al opened his mouth to speak again, he was interrupted.

"Carole and Burt are too good for you." Blaine defended Finn, chin jutting out. He was suddenly feeling childishly clingy as well. Burt and Carole were going to be his parents-in-law. They were wonderful people and they did not deserve to be conned.

"They're too good for _you_ though Blaine. No matter what claim you think you have to them."

"I know I-" Blaine's angry response stuttered to a stop and he glanced sideways at Santana as uncertainty over took him. "I know I'm not good enough for them, but-"

"Blaine-" Rachel began, as Santana gave him a stern look. Blaine felt a sweep of courage at their defence.

"But they _love_ me." He finished, holding up a hand to silence Rachel. His eyes were bright and fierce. Al actually couldn't stop himself from laughing, and Blaine blushed in embarrassment. Al was really good at making him feel stupid.

"They would have loved me too. _So_ much," Al responded. "They would have thought _I_ was Kurt. That was the plan. I wouldn't keep up the act forever, but they'd accept my slowly changing personality as a result of my trauma and of time passing. They would have loved me and been so proud of me. My life was going to be perfect. Once I'd killed every other kid Burt ever loved."

They were all simply staring at him in awed disbelief. He sounded so sure of himself, so unable to tell that what he said was crazy. It made no sense. It was a while before anyone spoke, and Al looked around and seemed proud that they were speechless.

Finally, Quinn shuffled forward. She stared into Al's eyes without flinching.

"How did you even find out about your other parents?" She asked.

"It took a long time. As soon as I knew I didn't like the ones I had, I was sure they couldn't be mine. I didn't even _look_ like them. It took some snooping, but I found the adoption papers, and the name of my true mother. Unfortunately, there were a lot of 'Elizabeth Hummel's in the world. But assuming I came from Ohio or a surrounding state, because the papers had been signed in Ohio, my guesses were narrowed down to three. I had three mothers to choose from. After a while I found that only one was married to a Burt. It really wasn't hard to work out." Despite his claims that it hadn't been hard, he looked incredibly smug.

"And you just _decided_ to come and kill us all after that?" Finn asked.

"No. First I had to do some spying. Since my parents were never home, and we never talked about our feelings and all that shit, I just made up some friends to 'stay with' some weekends. I went to Lima, though it was a long drive from my new home, and I watched." Al had a glint in his eyes that showed he'd enjoyed this part. "It took me almost two years of work, but when I was finally ready I only had to plant the pamphlet for this island and make sure Mr Schue was well aware that it was the only wheelchair friendly camping place for miles around. I knew exactly how to act as Kurt, and I'd picked up on enough goings on to bluff my way through being him. It was easy. And so I got you all here."

Al's eyes fell on Blaine, who was still curled back in his chair with the dark glaring eyes watching Al closely. His mouth kept opening and closing as if he might interrupt.

"Blaine, you obviously want to talk." Al prompted.

"Where's Kurt?" Blaine asked immediately. "I don't give a fuck about you, but I want to know where Kurt is."

"Oh that's the best part." Al smiled and traced his gaze languidly across each face. They all looked suddenly terrified and the rush of power made him more smug than ever.

"You do remember how I said I still had one more person to kill?"

* * *

So there's the twist! And now we have about 3 or 4 chapters to go, so enjoy and keep reviewing!


	36. Hope

Here we go! There are some ocs in this one but they were needed sorry!

Also I want to clear one thing up for a reviewer who said they thought I had characterised Kurt and Blaine wrong. You're totally entitled to that opinion and thank you for the feedback but I just wanted to explain why they act as they do in this fic. Firstly Kurt, as you know now, wasn't really Kurt so a few things were purposely done wrong to make that difference more obvious. Then with Blaine I tried to channel the post-breakup depressed and highly emotional Blaine we saw in season 4 and also the terrified and withdrawn mess he was in Shooting Star. Keep in mind that Blaine goes through a lot of trauma here and perhaps isn't quite so confident as usual. Anyway, that's why I wrote them that way and thank you if you bothered to read on after that :)

Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

"You can't kill him!" Blaine exploded. Before he could say anything more however, Santana clamped a hand on his shoulder and spoke to Al herself.

"How on earth do you plan to do that, dumbass?" She asked.

"Maybe you should let me finish my story." Al said. "But first, head over to the cabinet with the tv and-"

"We aren't doing anything you tell us!" Finn spat. Al looked totally exasperated.

"Oh my god just listen. See the handle and how it's all polished and black?"

"Yes," Quinn responded, walking quickly to the spot despite Finn trying to protest again.

"Open the cabinet door." Al instructed, watching as Quinn obeyed. "Now get your nails in the side, between the bits of wood, and pull the back of the door away."

Quinn looked puzzled for a moment, but she easily got her grip on the piece of wood that apparently wasn't nailed down, and tugged. It broke away quickly, to reveal and twist of wires and something black and-

"Is this a camera?" Quinn asked.

"Well done, unhook it and bring it over here. You'll have to unwrap the extension cord first though. Keep it plugged in. This is the only camera that needs to be directly plugged into the wi-fi at all times. The others have connection without all the wires." Al continued to explain. Quinn was very gentle as she took it down, twisting it to point at the confused group as she re-joined them.

"On the other side of _that_ lens, watching us on a screen, is little Kurt Hummel." Al grinned a little manically into the camera. He only had two seconds to do so though, because Blaine ripped it out of Quinn's hands and practically bashed his head against the lens as he whipped it around to face him.

"Kurt are you okay? Damn you can't even answer. Just sit tight okay? Oh god Kurt I love you, we're going to get you out of there okay? Look we got him! We tied up Al!" He span the camera again and quickly made it rove over the tied figure in front of him.

"I'm pretty sure he already noticed." Al said dully. Blaine just frowned and kept the camera tight in his grip as Rachel spoke.

"Where is Kurt?" She asked, and when Al's smile grew she felt a cold stab of dread.

"Well I've already explained about how I watched you for months, planted the information for this holiday, and then got into character as Kurt. _Before_ the last part though, I came here ahead of time. In the dead of night of course. Starting on the other shore, I set up eight tv screens in the little garden shed beside the house where those old people live. I cleared out the rusty lawnmower and the rest of the shit the old people don't use. Then I had to row over here, which was tedious I must say. I quickly hooked up the wi-fi transmitter inside the wall that would send the footage to the tv screens so Kurt could watch _everything_ when I tied him up- more painful for him that way. His death will be spectacularly drawn out. And the best part is he won't be able to tear his eyes away. He'll be sick with concern.  
Anyway then I went about putting all the cameras in, double checked each one. And that was that." Al finished. "One screen for the kitchen, dining room, main hall, lakeshore and each bathroom, and then two split screens that show all the bedrooms."

"So he's on the other side of the lake locked in a shed?" Santana asked dubiously. "How on earth do you intend to kill him?"

"He'll be dead before we get back. There's only so long someone can live without water. He had enough to keep him going until two days before our second week here ends, at the _latest_. And a day or so after that is when people will start to worry about our absence and save us. Plenty of time for him to die. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoy knowing that Kurt's on the other end of that camera, weak and starving. Dying."

"You're lying." Finn said, shaking his head.

"Now why would I lie about that?" Al asked, tilting his head as he considered the desperate teenagers opposite him.

"How did you even tie him up?" Quinn asked.

"I snuck into his room, right after he had gotten off the phone with Blaine and climbed into bed. Smacked him over the head and dragged him out. Took the two hour drive out here and tied him up by two am. I told him my whole plan and even though he tried to act all brave, he was terrified. That part was pretty fun. Then I drove back, got into Kurt's pyjamas, put my weapons in the many suitcases of clothes he'd already packed, and slept in his bed. Burt woke me the next morning and helped me check I had packed everything. And I joined you all for the bus ride." Al smirked into the camera, as if he loved that memory.

"Kurt's stronger than you think." Blaine insisted, chin jutting out.

"Yeah, Blaine's right." Puck nudged the camera toward himself and peered into the lens. "I believe in you dude. You can outlast this. You can do it."

"A human can last roughly three days without water, depending on surrounding factors. And Kurt's lack of sleep from all his panicking, and the absence of food, means that there's no way he'll live on the tiny bit of water I left within his grasp. It's _literally_ impossible. I only left him some water to drag this out - It's more fun that way – but there's no way he can live the whole stretch of time." Al's plan did seem kind of fool proof.

"I hate you." Blaine and Quinn said at the same time.

"Mmm that's nice." Al yawned and shifted under his ropes again. "So you've said."

"You won't get away with this!" Finn snarled. But he couldn't see how he could make those words come true. Sure, Al would go to prison and they would all live. But they had lost too much for it to ever make up for their pain.

"Can I go to sleep again or something? You guys have fun with Kurt." Al closed his eyes, and despite the angry hiss from Santana, they let him. They evacuated to the dining room, with the furious girl leaning on Finn's shoulder finally slamming the door behind them.

…

Miles away, in a small suburban home, a harried mother finally managed to settle her daughter into her high chair.

"Stacy, chew this," She sighed, pushing a toy into the fussy baby's hand. As soon as Stacy shoved it into her gummy mouth, her mother turned away and ducked around the corner to shout "Andy, you finish your homework first, don't think I can't hear that television going. And after that you come through here! It's your granddad's birthday and we're going call him, okay?"

The annoyed groan from her son was enough to satisfy the woman. She dashed back into the kitchen and out the back door. Running in the rain, she managed to collect all the groceries from her car and bring them in. Only after she'd put them away and picked Stacy's toy up from the floor, did the woman turn back to her phone.

Running her finger down the list of contact numbers scrawled on a pad of paper beside the phone, she realised just how long it had been since she'd called her parents. It had to have been months. She felt a little guilty at the reminder of this, but they just lived so far away, and they didn't even have a cell phone. At least she was calling them now.

With one eye on Stacy, she grabbed a pot and filled it under the sink, phone pressed into her shoulder as she listened to it ring. She glanced at the clock, which told her it was eleven am. She'd hoped to get a chance to relax all of Saturday morning, but she'd quickly become caught up in a whirlwind of shopping and getting Andy ready for his play-date this afternoon.

"Dammit Dad pick up the phone." She said aloud, flicking off the tap and shifting the phone to her left ear so she could use her right hand to start opening cupboards and grabbing ingredients.

"Dammit dammit dammit." Stacy parroted happily, and the woman groaned. There was another problem dumped neatly on her lap. Stacy swearing, as mild as if was, would not go down well if she continued it at daycare.

"Stacy don' t say that," She reprimanded, frowning only briefly before being distracted by the answer phone picking up on the other end. After the beep, she launched into a quick message.

"Why are you guys out? You live in Ohio, it's not like you have anything to do! Okay sorry, that was a low blow, I know you love that place. Anyway Dad you've probably guessed why we're calling. Ring us back!" She jabbed the end-call button and tossed the phone down. "Right Andy, show me the reading Mrs Peters assigned for you!"

She took Stacy with her to the other room, completely unaware that on the other end of the phone line, her parents had indeed been home. Their dead bodies both lay slumped at the dinner table, where their poisoned water supply had proved fatal.

A few meters outside the kitchen window, through the walls of his corrugated iron prison, Kurt Hummel could have sworn he'd heard the phone ringing.

Then again he might have been hallucinating. He didn't really trust his own senses at this point. He just kept his eyes locked on the screen to the right, watching Puck down a glass of water and feeling more parched than ever.

…

Puck set his glass down and interrupted Rachel's five minute long (and counting) rant on why she should have realised Al was a fake from the start.

"Rachel you're making Blaine cry," He pointed out.

"Yeah and my ears are bleeding from prolonged exposure to your voice, so shut it." Santana added. "We all know we messed up, okay? Do we have to dwell on it?"

"Well _yes_," Rachel said huffily, nose unturned "Because when you look back on it, it was _pretty_ obvious it wasn't the real Kurt."

"We get it." Even Finn was annoyed at Rachel.

"She right though." Blaine suddenly backed her up. "We should have known. He even… he even _kissed_ differently. And I never realised. Because I thought Kurt was just distressed and acting out a bit."

"So did all of us." Quinn tried to end the conversation once and for all.

"Kurt would never have cried that often. He was stronger then that. He wouldn't have been to dumb." Rachel continued anyway.

"Shut it!" Santana snapped. Finally, they fell silent, but Rachel and Blaine just started to wallow silently in their guilt instead of voicing it.

"I bet Kurt would say the same thing." Finn's quiet voice was accompanied by his warm hand closing around Rachel's. "He'd tell you it _wasn't_ your fault. He'd tell you to stop feeling bad. Al was an amazing actor and there was no way we would have discovered the secret."

"I wonder if he's watching now. Kurt, I mean. Not Al." Puck said, head swinging to look around the room. "Where do you think the camera in here is?"

"Let's find it." Blaine said. He'd left the other camera to keep watching Al since they couldn't unplug it, and he'd wanted Kurt to know everything that was going on. He hated the thought that Kurt might ever have been trapped with no idea what was happening. It must have been agony for him when they'd climbed the mountain.

So they began their search. Everything that could possibly hide a camera was searched, until finally Puck grabbed a chair and pushed it against the wall, taking the clock down and ripping the hands off what turned out to be another camera lens in the centre of the circle. What had seemed like an artistic black circle was a whole lot more. A hole had been cut into the wall behind the clock for the camera to fit.

"Hey Kurt." Puck grinned into the camera as he pulled it down. He carefully unplugged the wire keeping it powered, and made sure it actually had a fully charged battery so it would keep working when he took it down. "Good to find you again."

He hopped down off the stool and set the camera on the far end of the table, so that it still had a good view of them all.

"Please be okay." Blaine actually reached out and touched the camera. "We'll save you Kurt, just sit tight. I know you can outlast this."

"Al said it was physically impossible, Blaine." Quinn said slowly, seeming very grim.

"Kurt _is_ impossible." Blaine insisted. "There's no one like him."

"We have till the end of the week Blaine and- no offense Kurt- I don't know if he can make it." Quinn shot an apologetic glance at the camera. "I know you love him, Blaine."

She sighed when there was no response, and turned back to the camera. "And Kurt, I love you too. I know what you would do if you were here. You'd tell Blaine to try and get over you already. I know you'd try and make him understand there was no hope."

"There's never a complete absence of hope." Blaine choked on his tears. "_I _won't give up on Kurt."

"I'm not giving up on him!" Quinn's voice was suddenly high pitched and she slammed her hand down on the table, making the camera jerk up in the air. Puck tried to reach for the camera and Quinn at the same time, and ended up with one arm stretched across the table on the camera and the other on Quinn. "I will _never_ give up on my friends so don't you dare accuse me of that! I love Kurt just like I love you Blaine and I'm trying to do what's right. Do you know how bloody hard that is? People call me a bitch, and maybe that's true. But I'm being a bitch to help you. I have to make you see that we _can't_ hope for Kurt to be alive. Because I can tell that if you start to hope, your heart is about to break all over again."

"Quinn," Puck began.

"I'm not letting that happen!" She spoke over the top of Puck, who had righted the camera and now tugged gently on her arm. She ripped away from his grasp. "I've seen your heart break four times Blaine Anderson, and I'm not seeing it happen again. When we realised we were going to be stuck with a murderer, when we thought Kurt had walked off to take a shower and would end up dead, when we thought Kurt _was_ dead as Sleeping Beauty, and then when you walked into this room and saw him holding a gun to my head. Don't you dare make the number of times I have seen you in that state reach five. Don't you dare make me watch that happen to you five times."

"I'm not-" Blain tried.

"You are holding on to this hope with all your might and you need to let it go. Kurt _won't_ survive this. I'm not going to let myself believe he will. We've lost too much! And Al just wants to take this last thing from us." Quinn suddenly dived for the camera, and while she wiped furiously at the tears in her eyes, she trained it on her own face. "I love you Kurt, but I know the difference between reality and fantasy. This is goodbye."

And she leaned in, and actually kissed the lens of the camera.

Then she dumped it on Puck's lap and ran into the kitchen, sobs heaving through her body.

Puck tossed the camera to Santana and followed her out.

…

"Quinn, it's okay." He said as soon as he'd closed the door behind them.

"No it isn't!" Quinn took a deep gulping breathe, and stepped into his open arms, clinging to his shirt and weeping openly. "It's not okay because we've lost almost everyone I cared about and now Al has to make us watch one more person die. And I know we can't see him but it's just as bad because we still can't do anything about it!"

"I know. It kills me too. But Quinn, babe there's nothing we can do about it." Puck whispered, kissing her hair and inhaling her scent. He didn't know what he would have done if Quinn had died as well.

"I love you Puck." Quinn whimpered, pressing her face closer. "I love you so much. Please just-"

"Just what?" Puck asked. "Quinn I'll do anything."

"Please, please please," Quinn didn't seem to be able to put her feelings into words. Puck tugged her over to the side of the room and pulled her onto her lap as he sat with his back against the cabinet. "Noah, _please,_"

"Just tell me what you want." Puck begged, thrown completely off track by her use of his first name and entirely unsure of what to do.

"I need… I need you." Quinn gasped, her long lashes blinking as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Make me forget Puck, please. I can't feel this way. It hurts too much."

"Quinn," His voice was full of tenderness as her cupped her face in his hands, flicking away another tear with his thumb. And then he kissed her. Her eyes squeezed shut as she returned the kiss in earnest, but Puck watched her face for a moment longer. Her creased brow and her desperate crying had stopped at last. He leaned into the kiss and let his eyes slide shut. Quinn would be okay. He would take care of her. Forever.

…

"I'm sorry," Blaine sighed, running a hand through his hair that had fallen into its natural curls and trying to hide how hopeless he felt. Now that Kurt was alive and watching, Blaine remembered he needed to stay strong for him. He'd always been the rock that Kurt could stand on, and now that he remembered how it felt to have Kurt needing him, he was able to pull himself together. He couldn't believe he'd become so fragile. When had that happened? "I didn't mean to make her cry."

"You were just defending your opinion." Rachel said sympathetically "It's okay."

"I just-"

"Don't want to believe Kurt might be taken from you." Santana finished for him. "It's okay, I know how it feels. If Brittany was to appear again… well I know I'd do anything to keep hope alive."

It suddenly hit Blaine again that he needed to be strong for more than just Kurt's sake. Santana must be aching right now. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten that.

"I'm so sorry we lost her Santana." Blaine breathed, reaching for her hand.

"No I'm fine." She whipped out of his grasp and stood. "I don't need your help."

"Are you serious right now?" Finn asked. "Santana you shouldn't push people away."

"Yeah well that's what I do Frankenteen." She snapped.

"Not anymore." Rachel protested, eyes wide as she tried to calm Santana down. "Santana you've been totally open with us lately. It's been amazing."

"Not totally open. Now can we quit talking about Brittany please? I don't want to think about it." Santana reluctantly sat back down. "I'm happy for all of you okay? Don't let me burst you bubble."

"You aren't bursting anything. We love you and we want to help you out. Forget that we have each other and tell us how you feel. Maybe we can help." Rachel encouraged.

"Okay fine!" Santana looked around defiantly at them. "I feel like shit. But we can't change that so let's drop the topic."

"Santana I know you'll never forget Brittany, but maybe with time the ache will dull. You can always find someone." Blaine said, wrapping an arm around her. "And there's no way we're forgetting you anyway. We might split off and be all couple-y occasionally. But we will _always_ be there for you. We won't leave you alone."

"I know that. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Santana sighed.

"You're not alone," Rachel swore. When Santana didn't respond, she glanced at Blaine, desperate. He leaned his head against her, looking up like a puppy to try and comfort her.

"Baby, you're not alo-" Blaine started to sing, inventing a tune on the spur of the moment.

"Don't sing." Santana clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Cause you're here with me. Nothing's ever gonna-"

"Stop!" Santana said firmly. They all looked upset, and she sighed.

"I might talk about it later. You can even sing to me if you have to. When we get off this island though. Not now. I just… can't."

"Okay," Finn agreed, "Well, we're there whenever you want-"

"Do you think there's any way we can get off the island faster?" Santana asked, deciding to make her word final. "Can we do the fire thing? Make a signal?"

"And leave Al here on his own?" Rachel shook her head.

"We can take him with us." Santana said.

"No way. He'll escape and then we'll be screwed again." Finn protested.

"Then we'll split up." Santana countered. "It'll work."

"No." Blaine's quiet steady voice made them turn to look at him. "We can't leave the camera behind. Kurt will freak out. Do you know how hard it must have been for him? I can't leave him out."

"Blaine this might be our chance to save his life." Santana pointed out.

Suddenly everyone looked like they agreed with her.

"Okay. We'll get Quinn and Puck in here and talk about it."

…

Stacy had finally settled for her afternoon nap and Andy was at his friend's house when their mother picked up the phone for the sixth time. By now, she was getting worried.

Her parents never left the house. Ever.

And now they hadn't picked up the phone any time within at least an hour.

Frustrated, she started digging around for the piece of paper which told her the phone number of her parent's closet neighbour. He was always nice and friendly and had helped her check up on her parents when storms cut off all their power.

"Moooom!" Stacy's voice distracted her. Swearing softly again, she set the phone down and went to get her daughter out of her crib.

…

After an hour of talking the six glee kids finally decided on a solution. They had discussed the matter half-heartedly, feeling depressed because of the time pressure. The while point of this was to be as fast as possible. In the end they would send Puck, Quinn and Rachel to make the climb. They would set out at night again, so the fire was ready by morning as planned.

Having decided on that, they all had lunch and realised how much longer they had to wait until nightfall.

Time was really becoming an issue.

And with Kurt watching them on the tv screen, stomach clenching in hunger and longing at the sight of food, the time was really ticking down fast.

…

It was after Andy had been collected from his friend's house and settled with his sister in front of the tv with their father when the woman made it back to the phone again. She tried her parents one more time, only to be greeted by the answer phone for the eighth time. She rifled through the drawer until she found the other phone number, belonging to the neighbour and carefully punched it in. Glancing at the clock, which told her it was now four thirty, she felt another stab of worry. Where were they?

"Hello?" The voice on the other end filled her with relief.

"Hi, this is Tom's daughter, Petra." She said "I was just calling because I haven't had an answer from their phone for a while? Did the lines go out again?"

"Not that I know of. But I haven't seen their car leave recently, so they should be at home."

"That's odd." Petra shifted nervously.

"I can head over and check up on them if you want." He offered. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"That would be lovely. Thank you so much." Petra said

"It's not a problem." After his cheerful assurance, he said goodbye and Petra hung up. She was probably over-reacting. She'd get a call soon saying everything was alright.

…

Ricky slipped on his shoes and climbed into his large jeep. He whistled as he drove, totally unaware of the horrors he was about to face. He really liked Tom and his wife and was pleased for an excuse to visit, not only because they had the best brownies on earth, but because they were good company after working on his farm all day.

Ricky turned down their concealed driveway and finally pulled up in front of the house. It did strike him as odd when they didn't immediately arrive to greet him. They always came out to greet him at the sound of his truck.

Ricky went and rang the bell. He waited. And waited. And waited.

No one came to the door. So he tried to door handle, finding it open, and stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit, but he eyes settled on the dining table right away. And then his mouth opened in a silent scream.

Because his dear elderly neighbours were, unmistakably, dead.

Ricky fumbled for his cellphone, already finding his vision skewed by tears. Darting forward to check each pulse, he quickly found his worst suspicions were true.

Carefully, Ricky jabbed a shaking finger at the numbers he needed to call.

9. 1. 1.

* * *

Finally, help is on it's way! But will it be too late for Kurt? Please review and tell me what you think. I can't believe that after this there's only two more chapters to go and then my last chapter describing how the killer did it all.


	37. Saved

Well everyone, this is that last chapter before the epilogue! The last chapter on the island! I really hope you enjoy, as it got pretty emotional by the end.

* * *

"So in about five minutes they'll be leaving you here with us and heading up the hill." Santana finished explaining what was happening to Al. She'd hardly looked at him, instead focusing on helping Quinn pack a small backpack for her trip.

"Yes I suppose that's fine." Al said. His brow was furrowed though. "I doubt the fire will work so I may as well let you try. Not like it'll affect me."

Quinn laughed. "I'm going to guess that your attempt to put us off our new plan means that you actually think it will work."

"Not even close." Al said. His eyes flickered to the left as he pressed his lips together. A lie. "You won't be rescued no matter what you try to do."

Quinn exchanged a smirk with Puck.

"Yeah you're totally telling the truth." She scoffed, and he wrapped an arm around her. After their private time in the kitchen the day before, they were closer than ever. Quinn was still shattered by their experiences, but now she had Puck as a rock to stand on. He'd even gone so far as to pray with her right after she'd stopped crying, saying 'well we believe in the same God after all, so I guess I can pray with you.' And she felt balanced at last.

"Hear that Kurt?" Blaine grinned into the camera that still sat on the table. "He's nervous."

"Yeah that's a great comfort to your dying boyfriend." Al's voice dripped with sarcasm and he was finally satisfied when he watched Blaine's fists clench.

"He's not going to die." Blaine snapped. "Come on. Let's go see you off."

"Wait, Blaine," Rachel stepped forward. She looked very thoughtful all of a sudden. "I actually have one question for Al."

"Rachel we have to stop listening to him." Puck said. "He's just going to try and mess with our heads and stop us going up the hill.

"Scared of me after all, Noah?" Al asked smugly.

"No." Puck hissed. He turned to Rachel. "Ask him then."

"I'm just a little confused Al." Rachel stated, sitting down opposite him so she could study his face. "I get why you're here and how you managed to kill everyone. What I don't understand is why you let us catch you?"

"I _didn't_." Al said, as if Rachel was stupid for asking it. "That fucking dick shot me in the fucking hand."

Puck grinned, seeming proud now. Even thinking Kurt was the killer, he'd been guilty over hurting him, but now that he knew it wasn't Kurt he'd shot, he was glad he'd done it..

"No," Rachel was exasperated. "I mean why would you tell us that you weren't Kurt? Why tell us your plan?"

"I knew I was going to jail either way. My plan failed _mostly_." Al screwed up his nose in annoyance. Blaine wanted to hit him for looking so much like Kurt in that moment. "But I weighed the options and I think it's worse for everyone this way. This way Kurt has all this pressure from you guys to live and he'll be even more guilty when he dies. And I also get to torture you with the idea that another of your friends is dying and you can't do anything. I mean you would have felt like shit thinking I was Kurt. But then you'd come to terms with that and band together to stay strong. And Kurt would have died fairly happy knowing that you'd all be okay. He's such a sappy faggot."

Finn slammed his fist down on the table so hard everyone leapt in fright.

"Don't call him that." Finn's voice shook with rage. "I'll fucking kill you."

"Wow dude, chill." Al said. "Not like you have any problems with the word."

"I _do_ actually." Finn quivered as he leaned back and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. Rachel's hand immediately slipped into his.

"Leave Finn alone." Blaine said softly, eyes blazing with quiet anger that hid just beneath the surface.

"God you're all impossible to talk to!" Al sighed. "Just get out of here."

"No I'm not _done_." Rachel snapped.

"Fine!" Al said. "You're used to getting your way so you may as well go ahead."

Without even turning to look at Finn, Rachel knew she needed to reach out a hand to keep him in his seat. She stayed calm as fired her next question.

"But how would you even have gotten away with this anyway? You said you'd kill us all and live with Burt forever, but wouldn't it be a little suspicious if you were the only survivor?"

"Oh no," Al said. "You see, everyone knows Santana Lopez is a bitch and Kurt's a little angel. All I'd have to do was cry and sob and act completely damaged. I would shoot myself in the shoulder and make sure I was weak enough that when someone came to get us it would look like she'd tried to kill me too. I would explain how Santana had begun to murder us all, finally going mad and killed herself when she thought she'd finished me off… but somehow I managed to survive. It wouldn't be too hard to set it up so it looked it a suicide on her part. And I knew the exact story I would tell so that it would work out. You can't doubt that Burt Hummel would have pumped everything he could into making sure it was my version of the truth believed by the authorities."

They stared at Al, terrified because it was true. His plan probably would have worked.

"Well I'm actually glad I didn't trust Blaine then." Finn said. "Or, purely by chance, we never would have caught you."

"I'm glad as well." Blaine agreed. "But I do think we'd have caught him eventually."

"Yeah, well even if my plan didn't fully work, I get to kill Kurt. That was really the point of all this. He has to pay for stealing my father from me." Al concluded.

"He didn't steal your father." Quinn said, standing. "Come on guys, let's leave this lunatic and make sure his plan does fail."

"I can't wait to stand with Kurt in court and watch you sentenced to life in prison." Blaine helped Rachel up and handed her the bag as Rachel and Finn followed him out. Santana hobbled out last, leaning on Puck, and turned to give Al the finger as she left.

Al just laughed, keeping up an appearance of total confidence as he turned to the camera.

"How weak are you now Kurt?" He asked "How hard is it for you to hold your head up? Are you shaking from lack of what your body so desperately craves? You can't be far from death. I hope it pleases you to know that you're failing. They're putting all their hope in you and you're about to let them down. I can't wait to see them when they realise you're dead. Imagine how Finn and Rachel will sob in each other's arms. Imagine Quinn's pale face and the way she'd try to hold back the pain because she'd so sure she's prepared herself to lose you. Imagine how even _Puck_ will break down. And what about Santana? I'm sure your death will be the last straw. She'll loose it. And there's Blaine. Oh goodness, that part will be fun. Can you imagine his face? I can already picture his screams. I can't wait."

…

Kurt stared at the tv screen, and though he'd thought he'd run out of tears, he found himself crying again. Al was right. He was weak with thirst. He couldn't even pull at his restraints anymore. And now that Al brought it up, he realised he was shaking. The few bottles of water Al had left clunked with emptiness and Kurt reached out his trembling hand and unscrewed the cap of one again. He knew there was nothing left, but he still titled the bottle to his lips, sobbing as nothing came out. Suddenly angry, he threw the bottle hard against the wall and broke down again.

What made it worse was that earlier he'd been sure he'd kept hearing the phone again and again. And then he'd been sure he heard a yell of surprise, and a voice.

Kurt had tried to call out, but all that he'd been able to do was emit a small croak. And then the sounds had stopped and he'd attempted a call one more time. A soft and broken "help" that was barely loud enough.

After a while there'd been more noise. Incomprehensible sounds and voices that made Kurt sure he was going crazy. He slammed his hands to his ears. He knew crying out did no good anyway, even when he hadn't been weak, his cries had done no good. Tom and Joan had never heard him from the house. People had continued to talk and Kurt had focused on the screens again. At least _they_ made sense. At least he could distract himself with watching his friends. He stopped noticing the sounds and discounted them as his imagination.

Now, a least an hour later, maybe more… he tended to lose track of time, Kurt sobbed. He had collapsed on the floor and watched his friends walk through the kitchen door and out of his sight. Al's words echoed in his head. He was failing them. Curling up, Kurt let his fear consume him. "_Help_," He sobbed. "_Help me."_

…

"You have everything, right?" Finn asked again as he handed Rachel her bag.

"Everything," She promised, swinging it onto her back and standing on tiptoes to kiss him goodbye.

"You have to be really careful, okay?" Santana said from her spot sitting on the stairs.

"We will." Puck promised, bending over to give Santana a quick hug before peering up at the setting sun. "We should get g-"

"Can you guys hear that?" Blaine interrupted, tilting his head to the side.

They fell silent, listening intently, and slowly their mouths dropped open.

"Is that-?" Rachel began.

"I think it is!" Blaine squealed, eyes flying across the sky.

Heads turned up. They searched the horizon, and then Santana spotted it, pointing and yelling.

A helicopter was cutting its way through the cloud toward the island. Without a second thought, Rachel raced out onto the grassy stretch in front of the house, Quinn and Puck following. They were leaping up and down, shouting up at the open sky.

Blaine and Finn were frozen with shock for a moment, but as Rachel's hand pulled loose from Finn's, he jerked back to earth with surprise. Blaine was suddenly crying with joy, scooping Santana into his arms where she brushed away his tears and planted a smacking kiss to his cheek as he began to hurry across the grass with her.

"Hudson! Come on! We're saved!" She laughed. Finn followed, whooping and waving as well.

From the helicopter, the driver saw the small group tearing across the lawn. He angled the helicopter down, measuring the landing space with his eyes and then, satisfied, hovering lower. He watched Finn scoop Rachel up in his arms and spin her around. He watched Blaine set Santana down and wrap his arm around her to keep her steady as they leapt up and down. He watched Quinn turn and fling herself at the two of them, Puck catching them as they fell.

It was such a beautifully happy picture, apart from the fact that he only counted six kids. _Only six left. Weren't there _over_ ten people to collect? Oh god we were right. Something horrible's been happening here._

He watched them scatter back as he lowered the helicopter and landed in the space they cleared.

"We're safe." Santana's voice echoed with emotion and Rachel and Finn joined the hug she was already wrapped in with the other three.

"Love you guys." Finn sobbed. "Now let's go get my little brother back."

…

Kurt was stunned to see the pixels that formed Al suddenly whip around and stare out the window, panic all over his face. Al paled. Something was scaring him like Kurt had never seen him scared before. He suddenly wanted more than ever to be there. Something had freaked Al out and Kurt was glad for _whatever_ that was. He watched desperately as Al started tugging violently on his bounds.

But as more time passed, Kurt watched Al calm himself down again. All the other screens showed empty rooms, so there was only one thing for Kurt to focus on. He felt so hopeless sitting there. His head was spinning. There was a dull throb behind Kurt's eyes. Another headache. He'd been getting them more frequently as time went on.

_Oh god,_ Kurt thought, gulping in air through his dry throat, _I think I'm going to faint. Or die. Fuck, do people know when they die? _

He was just so confused, so scared. But black spots were dancing in front of his eyes and he squeezed them shut. He couldn't faint. He wouldn't let himself. He had to find out what was happening. And besides, Finn, Santana and Blaine were coming back in soon and he needed to watch them.

But his body was so heavy. He needed to- he needed – he had to-

Kurt was vaguely worried as his head dropped, but it was over in seconds as he passed out, his body unable to keep him awake.

When his eyes flickered open again, he thought he could hear Blaine shouting his name. A smile spread across his face before he remembered he must have been hallucinating. Kurt tried to sit up, but all the blood rushed out of his head and he passed out again.

…

Half an hour and a lot of confusion later, the two helicopters containing the children from the island and their rescuers, landed on the mainland. All the kids (apart from Al), came out shouting that someone still needed to be saved. For now they were hand-cuffed because of protocol before the police knew the full story, but they didn't care. Before anything else, each of them told the officers present about Kurt. They wanted him to be saved as quickly as possible. But they weren't allowed to see him yet.

"Kurt!" Blaine screamed toward the house as they dragged him away. "Kurt, we're here! Kurt!"

But because the police still needed to collect evidence, each kid was led to a separate police car and held inside. Someone else had to go and collect Kurt. They couldn't see him until the story was sorted out. They calmed down as they saw one officer approach some ambulance staff and take them around the side of the building toward Kurt's shed. One ambulance had already left with the bodies of Tom and Joan, and their old neighbour was helping the police put up tape around the house.

A stressed looking nurse finally approached the car where Santana was held and properly dressed her leg, issuing her with crutches and leading her out of the car. Santana was taken into a little trailer. She was the first to talk to the police. Despite her fiery manner, she seemed to be telling the truth. As Blaine was brought in and then Quinn, Rachel, Finn and Puck, the story was confirmed over and over.

When Al was brought in, completely without remorse, he admitted to killing everyone. Though he insisted they deserved to die.

They would have to do further investigation later, just to make sure, but for now it was confirmed that they would hold Al and let the other kids go home to their families. Phone calls headquarters were made and it was agreed upon.

The six survivors would be driven to hospital by the police. Here they would wait and then be led to Kurt's private room as soon as he was under stable conditions. That part might take about an hour, but they all swore they were willing to wait.

Back at the station, several police officers would check the databases to make sure everything about Al being Kurt's brother added up. Al's parents would be called to Ohio where the situation would be explained to them.

Around the same time, officers would call each of the families of the deceased and tell them what had happened. They would also call the families of the children who were still alive. They would be told that there had been an accident, but not the full story at this stage. They were all instructed to collect their kids from the hospital. As each parents arrived they would have the situation explained to them in person by an officer who would then personally escort them to the hospital room where their children waited with Kurt so they could be reunited. Their location all together in one room had been insisted on by Santana, and backed up by all her friends. They wanted to share that joy.

Only families directly involved with the casualties on the island would be allowed in. The kids couldn't wait to see them again.

…

Three hours later after he had passed out, Kurt Hummel woke up again. Something felt like a big ball of cotton in his head. He was pretty sure he needed to do something, but he wasn't sure what. There was a buzzing of voices around him. With a groan, Kurt decided he must really be crazy. Or maybe he was hearing everyone on the tv screens. In which case he had to see what was happening!

Kurt immediately forced his eyes open, looking desperately toward the screens that were hanging… _oh._

Instead of tv screens his gaze locked on the most beautiful golden eyes he'd ever seen in his life. They were familiar and comforting and painful and confusing all at once. Kurt felt like someone had grabbed his heart and clenched it in their fist.

"Hey Angel," The voice was full of tenderness. Kurt felt a warm, perfectly fitted hand close around his, as the eyes that belonged to the speaker filled with tears.

"Am I dead?" Kurt asked. Because Kurt didn't quite know how _he _had got there. He had expected to die. Not to be faced with the love of his life once more.

"No, you're very much alive" The captivating eyes blinked and the tears spilled over. The beautiful boy leaned forward and Kurt felt the familiar touch of his fingers as they brushed moisture from his cheeks.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice broke. "Why are you here?"

"You're safe. You're alive, _Kurt_," Blaine whispered warmly, a smile spreading. He pressed his lips to Kurt's and suddenly Kurt's head caught up with the situation.

_Safe,_ the word seemed to echo in his head. And then, as Blaine pulled back, Kurt's hands flew up, tugged on a little by an iv drip in the back of his hand, but still worked. He locked his fingers in Blaine's hair and held him there as he _finally_ kissed Blaine back.

He wanted to erase all traces of Al. He wanted to make Blaine feel safe too. He wanted to hold him and never let go. He wanted so many things he didn't know how to word, so instead he slipped his tongue between Blaine's lips so he could do the talking in the only way could in that moment. Blaine moaned softly and pressed closer.

The moment stretched on for an eternity, and then ended too soon.

Kurt fell back onto the bed, still a little weak despite the nutrients that were being quickly returned into his system.

He looked around the rest of the room, and each new thing made warmth rise further inside him. He didn't even have it in him to be embarrassed at his public display of affection, because he was so happy to see everyone.

Quinn and Puck were holding hands. It reminded Kurt oddly of the last time he'd seen them both in hospital together. Then they'd been standing side by side, hands clasped the same way as they looked down at Beth. Happiness bubbled inside him as he saw the same maternal look Quinn aimed at him. Puck's eyes were red, as if he'd been crying. Kurt felt honoured. It was weird to think that these two, who had never even acknowledged his existence the first year he'd known them, could love him so much.

Next was Santana and the first thing Kurt felt was a flood of sympathy. The pain in her eyes was so agonising he almost looked away. But he understood, because he'd thought he was losing Blaine. Santana had lost Brittany and Kurt knew that ache would be there forever. He was determined to do anything to make Santana's life feel manageable. She looked so happy and so sad all at once and he wished he could turn that all into pure joy. Despite her sadness, he knew she was never going to stop loving them all. He smiled, and was so pleased to have her return it. Santana would stay strong. If anyone could move past this, it was her.

Rachel had obviously been crying. Her whole face was red, but now she couldn't stop smiling, and Kurt doubted she'd stopped since they'd been rescued. As soon as he looked at her, she flung herself onto his bed and yanked him into a rib-crushing embrace.

"I'll fill you in later, I promise." She whispered fiercely. "Love you."

"Love you too." Kurt squeezed and let go. As Rachel moved to sit back down, he was the care in her every movement, the new maturity that she'd gained. It was a beautiful thing. Wisdom suited her.

She was watching Finn now, and so Kurt did as well.

Pure relief was written all over Finn's face. Rachel settled on his lap rather than in her own chair, and Kurt saw how much more he already cherished her after everything. He nodded at Kurt, biting his lip against another sob, and then his face split into a grin as Kurt smiled fondly at him.

"Dad's on his way." Finn suddenly said. Kurt felt a flood of emotion that he saw mirrored in everyone's face. He realised all their parents must be coming. The anticipation was almost visible in the air.

"Dad," Kurt sighed, the very thought made him want to melt into his father's arms already.

Blaine pulled gently on Kurt's shoulder, and without even needing to look at him, Kurt shifted to that Blaine could lay on the bed beside him, tucked into Kurt's arms. It was so comforting to know that they still knew each other so well. Blaine's head nestled in the crook of his neck and Kurt inhaled the faintest trace of his raspberry hair-gel.

The seven friends huddled close in that tiny hospital room as they waited for their parents to return.

"I'm so proud of us." Rachel said, snuggling closer to Finn. "I'm so proud that we didn't turn on each other. I'm so glad we're stronger than ever. I love you all."

"We love you too." They all said together, the timing making them laugh.

….

Santana's parents arrived first. The door flew open and as they turned to see who it was, Santana had already been swept into her mother's embrace.

"Mamita, por que siempre te metes en problemas? Venga," She sobbed, burying her face in Santana's neck. "Venga,"

Santana broke down again, clinging to her mother and crying in earnest. She couldn't even speak. Her father stood solemnly behind them for a few seconds before her joined the hug himself, silent tears streaming down his face. Santana's mom was still speaking rapid Spanish, pressing kisses all over her daughter as Santana laughed and pulled back again.

"Mama, calm down, it's okay, No llores, don't cry," She led her mom over to her chair and sat her down before grabbing one more chair for her father. She settled on the end of Kurt's bed and pointed out her friends, who her parents greeted in turn; though they were distracted watching their daughter as if they couldn't believe she was really there.

"Mi amor, where is Brittany?" Santana mom suddenly asked. And then Santana realised that her parents didn't know. It really struck her how different her life would be. She broke down again, and was quickly pulled into another hug.

"I'm so sorry Mrs Lopez," Rachel said softly as Santana wept, hair stroked back by her parents as they kissed her again. "Brittany was killed."

"Oh, oh Santana, mi amor," Mrs Lopez began to coo. "Shhh, shhh I'm so sorry,"

She fell back into full Spanish again, whispering comfortingly against her daughter's hair as the door opened again.

…

Everyone was stunned to see the Changs. Their eyes were red with tears but they walked straight into the room and as Puck and Quinn stood to greet them, they were pulled into strong hugs. Blaine scrambled off the bed to be squeezed tightly by Mrs Chang as Rachel and Finn hugged Mr Chang. They continued embracing child after child, and finally shook hands with Santana's parents before grabbing the last two seats and bringing them over to sit with the group.

They explained that they'd begged to be allowed to see the children that had seen their own son in his last moments, and been directed to the hospital. On the way they'd called all the parents who had lost children and, after being given the go-ahead from the police, invited them along.

"We're so sorry about what happened to you." Michael Chang senior said gravely, holding his wife close because she'd started to cry again. "I hope you don't mind us asking what happened to our son as well?"

"Mike was so brave, right until the end." Blaine promised right away, desperate to comfort him.

"Well, like father like son." Mrs Chang said softly, sniffling.

"You're the one he learnt his bravery from, dear," Michael told her. "I was never brave enough to follow my dreams like he did. I feel so bad that I ever doubted him, and made him doubt himself. I never knew what I had until the last minute. I just wish I'd been a better father."

"He loved you." Puck said. "And you forgave him. You made up. Don't worry about that."

"How did he die?" Mrs Chang asked, and then covered her mouth in horror. "I'm sorry if it's too painful for you to talk about."

"No that's alright." Santana croaked. "We don't mind."

She told the story of Mike's death from her mother's arms, making sure his own parents knew how brave he'd been, and how strong he had been until the end. They all cried when they heard about Tina, Michael Chang harder than anyone, but by the end of the story they looked comforted.

"Thank you," Mrs Chang said. "Thank you, all of you. You were such good friends for Michael. I'm so glad he had you."

They exchanged contact details with the Lopez family, so that they could continue supporting each other, and discussed starting up a coffee group for everyone to keep in touch, before the next people arrived.

…

Again, everyone was surprised at the new additions to the group. Artie's mother and Brittany's parents seemed to have already met outside and walked in together. They were all weeping. Brittany's lovely mother was clutching Nancy Abrams by the hand with her husband's arm around her. They already knew each other after Artie and Brittany's time together, and seemed fond of each other.

"Hey kids," Nancy said, voice wavering. "We c-came to see how you all are. Artie's Dad is still flying back from his business trip, but I thought it would be best if we all stuck together through this, so I popped in without him. We need to stick together in all this."

The Peirce's nodded their agreement, though they didn't seem able to speak. Santana stood and hovered tentatively until Mrs Peirce opened her arms. They held on tightly to each other as Nancy went to sit among her son's friends. They told her quietly of how brave and true her son had been, of how clever and determined. She thanked them and hugged them each in turn, thanking them again and again for taking care of him.

Behind them, Santana told her own garbled and agonised tale to the Pierces. They held her close and Santana curled into Mrs Peirce's embrace, which felt so much like her daughter's, and smiled into Mr Peirce's Brittany-like eyes.

The Pierces sat on the floor by the Lopez family as Santana sat on her father's lap. Santana also remembered to get them to thank Nancy, because of the way Artie had helped her with Brittany time after time. They laughed at the bittersweet memories of the old Brittany/Santana/Artie love triangle, and then cried again as they realised Santana was the only one left. Everyone felt totally spent already, but they weren't done yet.

…

When the second set of Changs arrived (Tina's parents this time), they immediately hugged Mike's parents. The two Chang families cried with each other over everything they'd lost, and then the kids helped to tell Tina's story to both couples. Before they were finished the story, the door opened again, but no one noticed. They kept talking about Tina.

Quinn's mom stood and watched, unable to go further into the room, or even speak past the lump in her throat. Quinn looked so grown-up, sitting beside Puck with her hand in his (this made Judy smile to herself. She'd wondered if that would happen, and secretly hoped it would.). But despite the small happiness of her new boyfriend, it was so painful to think that her daughter had been through so much at such a young age.

As Quinn finished talking about the apple and how Mike had tried to wake Tina up she reached across to hug Tina's Mum while she cried. Quinn pulled back only when Mrs Chang had composed herself.

Then Judy stepped forwards and called out her daughter's name. All the kids jumped, and Quinn whirled around.

Immediately, all the maturity gave way to vulnerability and Quinn melted and ran into Judy's arms.

"Mom," She sobbed, the impact of her hug making Judy stumble a little.

"Oh Quinny, it's okay, I'm here." Judy felt her heart break. She hated herself for the moment of weakness that had made her give up Quinn all those years ago. She was _so_ glad she had her daughter back. If she had heard about this without ever having had the guts to throw Quinn's father out, she would never have forgiven herself. Quinn was everything good in her and more. She didn't know what she would do without her.

When Quinn pulled back, she wiped quickly at her eyes and led her mother back to sit in her seat. Judy smiled warmly at all the kids and their parents who were already gathered there. Her heart ached for those who had lost children, and she wondered if she was totally heartless to be glad she hadn't lost Quinn.

They all came to hug her in greeting as well, and suddenly Judy remembered something she needed to say.

"Quinn, I don't have your father's number anymore, but if you want to call him, we can do it. I know you might need you Dad right now."

"No," Quinn shook her head quickly. "He gave me up and I don't need him anymore."

Judy was right. She really had grown up. Quinn kissed Puck and smiled. "I have everything I need right here."

…

The door opened again, and Puck's Mum came storming inside. She wrapped Quinn and Puck in a hug right away, banging their heads together.

"I just heard." She said, and then turned and stared round at everyone.

"You kids are going to be the death of me, I swear!" She huffed. "But thank you for looking after my boy."

Then she grabbed Puck again and sobbed into his chest as he rolled his eyes through his own tears.

"Mum you're choking me." He grumbled, looking pleased all the same.

She babbled about his sister being in bed with a baby sitter sleeping, because it was still so late at night, and how much she loved Puck. When she finally calmed down and pulled back, she turned to Quinn and smiled. Quinn had been worried that Puck's Mum might not be happy that they were dating, but her whole manner seemed to have softened. She eyed their entwined hands and smiled.

"I'm glad to see my song grew some balls and decided to date you after he knocked you up." She said. "Welcome to the family."

Quinn's smothered her laughter as Puck protested "Hey I _tried _to date her Mom!"

Before she could answer, the door opened again and they turned to see Blaine's parents. Blaine's voice cracked as he called out their names and ran forward to hug his tiny mother. She squeezed him tightly, crying into his un-gelled hair. Then Blaine was enveloped in his Dad's warm arms.

"Copper's on his way down from new York." Mr Anderson told him gruffly, trying not to cry again as his wife ran forward and leaned onto the bed to hug Kurt just as tightly.

"I hope my boy took care of you on that island." She said, kissing his head as Kurt started to cry.

"As best he could. It's a long story." Kurt said. "But it has a happy ending."

"Well we have time to heard it all properly later," She said as Blaine re-joined them with his father. They sat on the floor near Nancy and greeted everyone. They didn't look away from Blaine as he re-joined Kurt on the bed, face shining with love. His father looked like he wanted to say a lot to him, but he couldn't find the words. It was comforting to know that they had all the time in the world.

Rachel's Dads were the next to arrive. True to themselves, they swept dramatically into the room and immediately Hiram was squeezing Rachel in a hug to tight it made her squeal. As Leroy started telling him off for crushing their baby girl, the argument seemed to settle Rachel more than anything else. This was what she was used to, and it made affection rise up even more as she pulled away and turned to her second dad.

"Stop it and come give me a hug." She sniffed, holding her arms out so Leroy could embrace her too. They both started crying and kissing her all over before they turned to Finn and Kurt and then starting hugging everyone else as well. Their presence filled the room. Just as Hiram swept up a rather startled Judy, the door opened again and Mercedes parents both walked in.

…

They usually sparkled with natured humour and the spunk that Mercedes had inherited from them. Right now though, they were oddly subdued.

Mrs Jones wrapped Kurt in her arms first and he cried because she felt _so much_ like his old best friend. They greeted everyone in the room similarly and took their own seats. They listened to the story of Mercedes death, and when they cried everyone was there for them. Michael Chang invited the whole room to join their coffee group and learn how to work through this together. Everyone thought it sounded perfect. Talk of other parents reminded the Jones that they had news to pass on.

"Sam's parents can't come by the way. We called them right after we got the news. They swear they'll make it for the funerals though. Sugar's parents are still in Paris, so they'll be a while coming. And Joe's parents are on a church camp, the cops haven't located them yet. But I did get to talk to the Evans for a while. We're thinking we might have a joint memorial service if you want to talk about that later." Mrs Jones asked the other parents.

"That sounds lovely," Nancy agreed.

…

And then the door flew open for the last time and someone shouted Kurt's name at the top of their lungs.

"Dad!" Kurt cried, and then he was enveloped in warmth.

Carole grabbed Finn just as tightly and then everyone in the room was crying again at the sight of it. Finn suddenly looked ten times smaller in his mother's arms as her tears soaked into his shirt, and they couldn't even see Kurt.

"You're safe." Burt sobbed, holding on as if he'd never let go. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"No, Dad it isn't," Kurt promised, kissing Burt's bald head as he pulled back to hug Finn and let the dishevelled Carole reach Kurt.

Then they moved round and said hello to everyone. The Hummel's were the last addition to the group, and certainly the most well-known because they'd spoken with all the parents before.

Burt apologised a million times, unable to stop crying, and everyone told him over and over again that he wasn't to blame. Finally he calmed down, lying on the bed between Kurt and Blaine with his son and future son-in-law tucked into his side. The kids managed to go over the whole story from start to finish.

Outside, the sun rose and the hospital staff, though overwhelmed by the number of people, went and got coffee for all of them and gathered more chairs from neighbouring wards. They laughed together and cried together, bonding over the shared pain of their losses.

And even though they'd lost a lot, they thought they might finally be ready to move on. Together.

* * *

We're so close to the end now I can taste it, and that scares me! Tell me what you thought of our longest chapter, I'd love to hear from you before the end.

by the way the translations for the spanish are 'why do you always get into trouble. Come here,' and also 'don't cry' and then 'my love,'


	38. Epilogue

So here it is... the final chapter... the epilogue. You all get to see what happened after the island with Al in jail and the kids trying to move on. I've tried to show the kids following a path they would already have wanted to follow, but with some slight changes based on how the time on the island changed them and their future plans (Most notably, Puck) but I made sure everyone was still in character. Because it's the end of season 3 it means that Quinn has been accepted to Yale, and Rachel to NYADA. I also went along with Kurt's rejection from NYADA leading to him being present at the Winter Showcase and getting a second audition for the school like we saw in season four. Anyway, it's all explained in the story so read on.

Also: for the person who asked, yes Burt does know about Al. Before each parent was allowed in to the hospital room they were taken aside and the story was explained to them, so they all knew everything.

* * *

FIVE YEARS LATER

"Santana we need you _right now_!" Rachel screeched. Her friend only rolled her eyes and finished applying her makeup at a leisurely pace. When she was done, she took the time to carefully arrange her curls over her shoulders.

"Santana, Rachel's about to burst a blood vessel." Kurt's long-suffering tones came from right behind her. He'd had Rachel screeching at him all day though, so it was understandable that he sounded so exhausted. Santana finally turned away from the mirror to see him standing, one eyebrow raised, in her doorway. "You look perfect anyway, so hurry up."

"Wow, did I just get the Kurt Hummel seal of approval?" Santana joked, spinning around so he could see the full outfit.

"Well, I _did_ buy you the dress." Kurt pointed out, admiring the way it fit her.

Santana finished showing off and reached out to her night-stand. She brushed a finger along the top of the gold photo frame, which was already worn in the spot she traced. Brittany grinned happily up from the photo inside, her hair shining in the sun, arms outstretched as she soaked up the summer's day. Touching the frame was a routine for Santana now. Though she just briefly brushed along the edge with only a glance toward Brittany, before picking up her shoes to follow Kurt out, the gesture was still laced with meaning.

Sometimes Santana stopped and stared at the photograph, stroking the frame lovingly, even picking it up. Sometimes, like today, she only had time for a touch of the fingertips. But no matter what was happening, Santana never forgot to acknowledge the picture before she left the room.

Kurt stepped inside to mirror her gesture before beckoning her out. Santana didn't think she'd ever explained the need to have the picture there, and to acknowledge Brittany in that small way every day, but somehow her friends had all picked up on it, and gone along with the ritual without saying a word. She appreciated it more than she could ever explain.

Kurt shut the door behind her and followed her around the corner to the living room area where Rachel was pacing back and forth and Finn, Blaine and Puck were sitting in the chairs, looking worried while a heavily pregnant Quinn tried to calm down the erratic bride-to-be.

"Finally!" Rachel leapt toward Santana, and grabbed her hand to drag her into the room more quickly. Santana huffed as Rachel pushed her down onto the armchair beside Blaine's.

"I _told_ you she'd be here in time. We still have ten minutes before we have to be in the cars." Kurt said, sitting neatly on the arm of Blaine's chair and smiling an acknowledgment as Blaine's hand slipped into his, their engagement rings bumping together. Kurt glanced sideways at his fiancé and blushed as he realised Blaine was regarding him with that smitten smile of his.

"Ten minutes isn't nearly enough time to say everything I need too!" Rachel snapped. "And why aren't your shoes on Santana?"

"If this is how het up you get before the wedding _rehearsal_ I dread to think what you'll like tomorrow when we're actually getting you prepared for the real thing." Santana grumbled, leaning down to pull her heels on.

Rachel chose to ignore Santana's comment, instead she nodded at Finn and he quickly joined her in the middle of the room. As he slipped an arm around her waist, Rachel seemed to relax a little.

"Now that Santana's done holding us up…" Rachel was cut off as Finn leaned down and murmured something in her ear. She looked a little embarrassed. "Okay, I'm sorry I was so sharp with you Santana. I'm just so stressed about this wedding. It has to be perfect!"

"That's okay," Santana sighed, but she softened slightly. "I understand."

"Urg, I almost think I should have gone with a nice quiet wedding like you did Quinn." Rachel said.

"Oh trust me, I was plenty stressed, even with a small wedding." Quinn promised.

"I don't think my ear drums have recovered yet, and it's already been a year." Puck agreed. He was rewarded with a light smack on his arm before his young wife laughed and leaned into his side. Puck laid a hand on Quinn's belly, completely content.

"I, personally, can't wait to see if our Kurtie will be an even bigger bridezilla when the time comes." Santana grinned wickedly at Kurt as he gave her his best 'bitch please' look.

"A quiet wedding would never have worked for you anyway, Rachel." Blaine quickly interrupted before Santana and Kurt could begin a battle of wits. "And all those paparazzi will be dying to see Broadway's darling in her wedding dress. You couldn't possibly have let them down and gone with something small-scale."

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him and then squeezed Finn's arm. "It is true that I can't wait to show off my lovely groom."

"And I can't wait to show off my perfect bride" Finn replied sappily, planting a kiss on Rachel's head and making her beam.

Blaine smirked and accepted an approving pat from Kurt for his success at calming her down. Though Finn _had_ helped with that.

"Okay I just have something really quick to say." Rachel promised, she clasped her hands and took a deep breath. "Now I know we've been through a lot together. I'll probably mention it in my speech at the wedding reception, but I wanted to tell you all now, in a more personal way, how much you mean to me. I want right now to be about you guys. Tomorrow is for me, but _right now_ is all for you."

She glanced over at the opposite wall and everyone followed her gaze. Three photographs hung in huge frames, filling the space. One was the posed New Directions picture taken for the yearbook from their first year together. The second was a random shot from the choir room sometime in the nest year (chosen because it showed so perfectly what life had been like back then, and because Miss Pillsbury had been in it as well) It was casual and happy. Everyone was smiling. Arms were thrown around each other and they looked so content. The last was a shot from when they won nationals, taken from the audience, and showing all the pure excitement and joy of the moment. You could almost hear the cheering just looking at the captured image. The pure ecstasy on each person's face was overwhelming. They had no idea that their hours alive were already ticking rapidly towards the end.

"We've all been through so much together, and made it out the other end." Rachel's voice was quiet as she stared at the pictures. "We lost so much as well, but somehow it made us stronger. This sounds super cheesy but I know we can keep on going together. Think about how much we've achieved since then."

Now she turned to face Puck, "Puck raised _hundreds_ of dollars to spend on support for the new adoption system and for better counselling options for others like us. He's hailed as a hero, as much as he grumbles about that part. And all this was done while he helped Quinn through collage with his pool-cleaning business. I swear you've become some sort of multi-tasking machine Puck. I'm so glad all that passion and energy you've always been full of has helped you find your calling in life."

Puck gave Rachel a mock-salute, beaming.

…

It was strange because despite the snippets of press attention he'd gleaned from all the work he put into charities, Puck didn't see himself as a saviour. He'd gotten sponsors and raised money because he wanted to help people, not because he wanted to be a hero. In fact, Puck almost hated being seen as a hero. His bad-boy image was something he still projected, and it was odd to have people call him a saint. It had been a relief to step away from that part of his life earlier that year when he and Quinn had moved to New York.

When the charities he'd been funding achieved their goals, Puck had taken a step back from this work. They were all sad to see him go, but they understood. And besides, with Quinn graduating from Yale, the newlyweds were keen to return to their friends in New York. Their constant trips to visit were costing too much anyway. So at the start of the year they'd purchased the apartment across the hall from the one Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, Finn and Santana shared (although Finn and Rachel were about to move out into another apartment on the same floor after they got married). Puck suddenly had tons of free time when he wasn't busy cleaning pools around the city, and he was pleased to dedicate that time to preparing the apartment for the family they planned to raise there.

Now that he'd achieved so much, Puck just wanted to settle for cleaning pools and raising his new family. He may have been young still, but he was already keen for the quiet life. He didn't mind the idea that he would be mostly a stay-at-home father, because it meant he would _always_ be around when his kids needed him. If there was anything Puck had learned from his dead-beat father and from Al, it was that children needed love when growing up. He knew his kids would get plenty.

…

"And you, Quinn, you did it!" Rachel hopped on the balls of her feet as she said it, pride shining from her face. "You got out of Lima and into Yale! You rocked that place honey, and stunned us all by becoming one of the best lawyers around. It's not where I saw you heading, but now that you're there, boy do you fit in!"

"Kick some serious ass in court against those bigoted pigs!" Puck added, giving Quinn another quick kiss and making her roll her eyes.

"I'm still so proud and honoured to call you my friend. I'm glad you moved into our building at last, because I don't want you straying far. You look as stunning as ever with that baby bump. Pregnancy suits you, it always has. I'm really glad you're planning to have more kids because if they all grow up to be a precious as Beth is, the world will be a better place because of it! I need more Puckermans around me, okay?" Rachel watched as Quinn nodded stroked a hand over her swollen belly.

"Thank you," Quinn mouthed, and she really was glowing.

…

She was in her element at last. The four years of law school after the island incident had been stressful, but totally worth it. When she had secured a job as a lawyer in New York, things could not have been better. Flying back and forth to Lima and New York to see all her friends whenever she could over the past five years had made for a jam-packed life. She was glad to settle down with Puck at last, with a solid job in which she was already rising quickly under the shining praise of her college professors. She just had a presence in the Courtroom that demanded attention and respect despite her lack of experience.

It would be so much easier not needing to book impromptu flights whenever something had happened that called them all together. Now she could finally be grounded. When Blaine had graduated school and he and Kurt had moved in with Finn, Rachel and Santana in New York, things had become ten times easier, and when the Puckermans had joined them at the start of the year, it was finally perfect. Quinn couldn't wait to finish the final couple of months in her first six months at the new job and then take her maternity leave. She could raise her baby before returning to the job she'd managed to secure, leaving the little one with her husband each day.

It was the life Quinn had always wanted.

…

"Santana," Rachel's humour softened to something more motherly as she turned to the former cheerleader. "I think you went through some of the toughest times. I'm so sorry for the moments I couldn't be there for you, and I'm eternally grateful that we both had all these idiots to help us when we failed and fought. You've always been there for me and that's something I _never_ expected from you, and it's beautiful. I know you'll never forget Britt, but it's great to see you moving on. You should call that girl from before, I know you like her already."

Santana ducked her head, looking suddenly shy.

…

Earlier that day she'd interviewed a young woman who wanted come and rent out Rachel and Finn's room when they moved into their own apartment down the hall. All their stuff had already been moved out to wait in their new apartment until they returned from their honeymoon. So Santana had put out an advert for anyone who wanted a place to stay, and shown them around that morning.

This applicant had caught her eye for the first time since Brittany. The short curvy girl with the heart shaped face had a sweetness in her that reminded Santana of Brittany while being entirely unique. It was strange that someone who hardly looked like her old girlfriend at all could have made her consider dating for the first time in five years. But Santana supposed that was a good thing. If she was ever to find a new partner, she wanted to love them for them, not a shadow of the past.

Although, Santana wouldn't even consider being with this new girl until she had a chance to tell her about said past. If she accepted Brittany and all the pain that came with her, Santana knew she would make a wonderful girlfriend. So when Santana worked up the courage to take her out for coffee, that would be the first thing she mentioned. And, perhaps by the end of it, she would find that special someone that she still craved. It thrilled her that she could consider the prospect and she knew Brittany would be proud of her for moving on.

…

"I was astounded when you first told me you wanted to be a dance teacher, as you know." Rachel continued. "After two years studying it at NYADA I knew _dance _was your passion. But teaching? I did not expect that. Not until I saw how perfectly you managed your very first class. Shelby got about a thousand raving reviews on your amazing teaching methods after she made you a partner in her Broadway Daycare, and I can see why. You remind me of Sue Sylvester with your forcefulness, but you also know how to show your love for those kids. When they do something right, even though you never got nuts with praising them, I can see how one approving smile means everything to them. You're fantastic Santana, I'm so proud of you."

"Well I can't help it that I'm fabulous." Santana said casually, to hide the tears in her eyes.

"Blaine Anderson, you charming little prince," Rachel turned to Blaine as he laughed at her description. Kurt nodded emphatically in agreement and mouthed 'you are' when Blaine turned to him in disbelief. "You took the world by storm. I know your last year of High School was terribly lonely, but luckily you could see Kurt every day after school to help you along, and you had the rest of us as well. Thank god for Skype, right? Graduating was a wonderful day! I'm so pleased we made it back to celebrate that with you. I felt like your big sister sobbing in the crowd. When you and Kurt moved to New York, you brightened everything for us three so much. And NYADA didn't know what hit them when you two arrived at the school together. After Kurt got accepted based on his performance at the winter Showcase, and then _deferred_ to wait for you, the school was already abuzz with gossip. And boy did you live up to the hype."

Kurt was tomato red by now, and Blaine buried his face in his fiancé's side at the memories of their first weeks in the spotlight.

"Your audition was almost _perfection_, and every performance since them has been captivating. The emotion your pour into everything is reminiscent of my own performances, it's _that_ good. There's no one I could have been happier with playing my love interest in my second ever Broadway show. Thank you for always being there for all of us, out steady supportive core."

. "It's no big deal." Blaine sniffled.

"Oh shut up," Quinn replied, quickly dabbing her tears away. "You'll make the pregnant woman cry. Rachel hurry up I can't deal with this."

Rachel laughed lightly through her own building tears. "Um, sorry, Kurt babe you're next. You're like the brother I always wanted. I'm so glad I've always had you, even when you weren't even here in New York; you still made us feel so close to you. I know you've had a lot of trouble getting over your guilt about Al being your brother, but I feel like we've managed to work through that. Seeing you succeed has been beautiful. You're one of the most selfless people I know; spending that year helping your Dad with everything, and making sure he worked through all of his own guilt; Helping Blaine through school, and deferring your acceptance to NYADA, the collage of your dreams. I've learnt more about selflessness from you than I have from anyone. And I was so happy watching you make a brand new Musical become a Broadway hit in one night, I thought I might burst. The reviews raved about you that night Kurt, and you've never been more perfect for a role, though we've been pretty perfect for the other two you were cast in since then. I'm pretty sure you give Blaine and instant boner every time he sees you on st-"

"Rachel! We're getting of track." Blaine yelped.

"Oh sorry, I just- thank you Kurt. Thank you for being there, and I'm so happy for you. I can't wait to see you and Blaine married. The magazines are going to cover that event for days afterwards. It'll be beautiful."

Kurt bit his lip to hold back a sob and let Blaine reach up to brush away his tears.

…

They remembered the first year after the island incident so well still. Blaine's hard times at school with none of his friends left, an outcast because of the murders they knew he'd witnessed; Kurt's long hours trying to get his life back together and help his father recover; things had been difficult for both of them. It was especially hard to sort out everything with Al. At least it was quickly apparent to the authorities that Al was responsible for everything, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment showing no regret at all.

Then partway through Blaine's senior year, when visiting NYADA for the winter showcase, Kurt was given the chance for a surprise audition. His acceptance to the collage caused a lot of further stress. It was resolved when, despite Blaine's protests, he decided to defer his acceptance and wait for his boyfriend. When they'd arrived at the school together the next year, they'd been shocked at the way they'd quickly become the 'it' couple around campus. And then, after graduating, getting roles on Broadway and Kurt even finding a job at in his time off had been blessings they'd always hoped for. When Blaine and Rachel were named the most romantic on-stage couple in their first show together, Kurt's slight tinge of jealousy had quickly evaporated with assurances from his friends. And when he was cast in _Angelic Affection_, a brand new Broadway show, he quickly worked with the role and made the whole musical an instant hit. Even more recently, Blaine had auditioned for a new tv show, and he'd been called a month ago to find he'd gotten the part. Those past five years had brought a sense of rightness Kurt and Blaine's lives.

And then, when Blaine planned a proposal for a month and stressed out over every little detail, Kurt stunned him by flipping around and proposing first. That had been six months ago, around the time the Puckermans moved in, and they were still giddy with excitement about the whole thing.

…

"Now Finn," Rachel grabbed her husband-to-be by the hand and grinned up at him. "You're everything I ever needed. You've been perfectly understanding and kind, and always there for me. I was so happy to see you thrive through teacher's college, and I loved living with you and Santana that first year because you both helped me out so much when I stressed over school and auditions for Broadway. Skype and those visits from the others helped out tons, of course, but if you hadn't been there for frequent hugs and kisses I don't know what I would have done. Finn, You were the one who secured the purchase of the last apartment on this floor so we could stick with our friends, and you proved that you understand my needs completely. I hope I'll always understand yours too."

…

She remembered the first year after the incident and how worried she'd been about going to NYADA after such a traumatic time, especially after originally planning to defer her acceptance until she could help Kurt get in and until Blaine could graduate and join them. She'd worried that it was insensitive of her to keep chasing her dreams after all that had happened. But everyone had told her to go ahead, Kurt and Blaine had stayed in Lima and Santana and Finn had gone to New York with Rachel. Finn had assured her it would be okay when she'd told him about her deepest concerns. After a year of running around New York after her and Santana and running back and forth to Lima, Finn had discovered a passion for teaching. Inspired by Mr Schue, he'd begun teacher's college. And now, years later, he ran a Glee Club at a small High School in the city and taught music classes there. Burt hadn't cared at all that Finn gave up on wanting to work in the tire shop, so Finn was free of guilt. He was happy at last. And now he was marrying the woman of his dreams.

…

"You're my soul mate and my saviour." Rachel finished "So come on, let's go and practise getting married!"

"Wait," Finn said croakily, trying not to cry. "What about you?"

"Me?" Rachel asked.

"You've been amazing as well honey. You tried to fit us into you busy schedule as much as possible. You encouraged us all in chasing our own dreams, and you were there for us as well. Ever since the incident you helped us move on, and we worked through things together. It was your idea to get the photographs for the wall." Finn said.

"And we're so proud of you, Rachel." Puck added, "We always knew you'd make it, but you even stunned us."

"After you started out in Funny Girl you've been hot commodity, as we always knew you would be. We've loved seeing all your shows. You helped Blaine out so much his first time on Broadway. He was freaking out and I'm _so_ glad he got to play opposite you," Kurt continued, smiling at Rachel.

"You're like our sister," Quinn agreed.

"And even though you're a star and you'll continue rising until you become one of the most famous girls on earth, we know you'll always love us. We're so proud to be friends with you." Santana said.

"Guys you don't need to say all this. We're really going to be late." Rachel sniffled, suddenly close to tears. "Save it for your speeches at the reception."

Quinn pushed herself up and enveloped Rachel in her arms instead. Everyone quickly joined the hug.

"It's been five years." Rachel murmured from the middle. "Five years as of tomorrow. Five years since we lost them all."

"And our friends could not be happier that that we've done so well even without them." Quinn said firmly. "I feel like they're living on through us. I know I live every day for them."

There were murmurs of agreement as everyone drew back.

"I'm glad you decided to have the wedding on the anniversary of our rescue." Puck said. "It feels like a tribute."

"That was the intention." Finn agreed.

They all turned to face the wall of portraits one last time. All the faces they knew and loved stared back at them, captured in their youth forever. It was nice to know that something good had come out of every death. It was nice to think about their parents still meeting for coffee every Friday and becoming best friends. It was wonderful to think of everything they themselves had succeeded in.

After a while, Rachel checked her watch.

"We're going to be late!" She exclaimed, grabbing Finn's arm and dragging him out the door. "Our parents will already be waiting to start the rehearsal!"

He followed with a fond smile, shaking his head slightly at her sudden panic. Santana went after them, glancing one last time at Brittany's face in the photo on the wall and then thinking about the girl she was going to ask out later. Quinn and Puck followed, his arm wrapped around her waist as she walked with one hand on her baby bump. She smiled up at him as he gave her a comforting squeeze. Kurt took Blaine's hand and tugged the shorter boy after him. Blaine's confident smile had returned full blast after they'd left the island and started to recover, and it glowed from him now. As he followed him out, Kurt thought he'd never seen anyone so handsome.

Five years later, they were all okay.

The parents of all the Glee Kids, both dead and alive, had bonded rapidly over their shared stories and pain. The regular meetings continued until they were all best friends.

Puck was a husband, a soon-to-be-father, and a respected member of society. Quinn was a wife, a soon-to-be-mother, and a lawyer. Kurt was a beloved fiancé, Broadway star, and employee. Santana was a dance teacher, the co-owner of a successful Broadway Daycare, and ready to find love again. Blaine was a treasured fiancé, Broadway's beloved heart-throb, and new television actor. Finn was a soon-to-be-husband, an adored teacher, and a glee club leader. Rachel was a soon-to-be-wife, Tony nominee, and Broadway's new favourite star.

Everything worked out in **the end**.

* * *

I can't believe it's finished! Thank you so much for everyone who's read this story! It's been an amazing journey and all your feedback helped me so much to get this completed. I really hope you liked the last chapter, and seeing where they all ended up. If you have any questions, just ask and I'll reply! An especially big thank you to all my reviewers who have been chatting to me since the start. I've met some lovely people and your compliments make my day! I'm almost sad to see the end of the story, but it's such a relief to have it done. Please do review one last time. Love you all!


End file.
